Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
International

Indian Immigrant Sentenced To 9 Years In Prison For $25 Million-Dollar Fraud Scheme In US

Darpan News Desk, 03 Mar, 2017 11:22 AM
  • Indian Immigrant Sentenced To 9 Years In Prison For $25 Million-Dollar Fraud Scheme In US
The FBI caught hint of the scam after the group used images of fake passports, including one that featured Canadian actress Laura Vandervoort's image from a television show.
 
An Indian-American man has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for a multi-million dollar fraud scheme.
 
Amit Chaudhry, 44, from Ashburn, Virginia, pleaded guilty on September 21 last year to identity theft, money laundering and visa fraud.
 
"I never really dreamt of being a felon. This is going to haunt me for the rest of my life," Chaudhry said in Alexandria federal court on Thursday before being sentenced, the Washington Post reported.
 
According to the report, Chaudhry, who emigrated from India in 1992, helped his relatives overseas to operate a multimillion-dollar scam that involved money laundering from stolen credit cards and identities through shell bank accounts.
 
He was also part of a related scheme, advertising cheap travel packages. Clients' money would be stolen and their hotel and airfare would be paid for with stolen credit cards.
 
They also made more than $25 million off fake credit cards with the help of a co-conspirator working at American Express in India, the Washington Post report said. 
 
 
The group also used images of fake passports.
 
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uncovered the scheme in part when an agent recognised a photo in one passport as actress Laura Vandervoot. The photo was taken from a scene of her television show "V" involving visas.
 
"What we're dealing with here is not a casual wrong turn," said Jeffrey Abish, the chief information officer for the defrauded company ActioNet. 
 
Chaudhry sent inflated and imagined IT invoices to the company, netting $4.1 million that he has now pledged to repay, according to the report.
 
Defence attorney Danny Onorato told The Post that "this was all done out of family loyalty".
 
Onorato added that Chaudhry has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, which might help explain his behaviour.
 
However, Assistant US Attorney Katherine Wong protested Onorato's argument, saying: "Asperger's doesn't cause anyone to steal or open credit card accounts in someone else's name."
 
Chaudhry is cooperating with authorities, who are still finding more victims and tracking down co-conspirators in the US and abroad. 

MORE International ARTICLES

AAP to perform exceedingly well in Goa, Punjab: Manish Sisodia

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday expressed confidence that his AAP will perform exceedingly well in Punjab and Goa where it is contesting against both the BJP and the Congress.

AAP to perform exceedingly well in Goa, Punjab: Manish Sisodia

Trump Says He'll Bring Down Cost Of Mexican Wall

Trump Says He'll Bring Down Cost Of Mexican Wall
I am reading that the great border WALL will cost more than the government originally thought, but I have not gotten involved in the design or negotiations yet.

Trump Says He'll Bring Down Cost Of Mexican Wall

Two New York Men Plead Guilty In ISIS-related Terrorism Case

Two New York Men Plead Guilty In ISIS-related Terrorism Case
Two New York residents accused of conspiring to support ISIS and plotting to set off a pressure-cooker bomb in the city have pleaded guilty to all charges, federal prosecutors and New York officials said on Saturday.

Two New York Men Plead Guilty In ISIS-related Terrorism Case

Theresa May Faces Public Backlash Over Hard Brexit, Poll Finds

A clear majority of the British public oppose Theresa Mays uncompromising Brexit negotiating position and are not prepared for Britain to crash out of the EU if the Prime Minister cannot negotiate a reasonable exit deal, a new poll has found.

Theresa May Faces Public Backlash Over Hard Brexit, Poll Finds

Hundreds Of Undocumented Immigrants Arrested In US

Hundreds Of Undocumented Immigrants Arrested In US
Hundreds of undocumented immigrants from a dozen Latin American countries have been arrested in at least six US states this week, following President Donald Trump's executive order to broaden the scope of immigration enforcement targets.

Hundreds Of Undocumented Immigrants Arrested In US

Northerners Press Trudeau On Electoral Reform; Pm Admits 'I Turned My Back'

Now is no time to be provoking political instability in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday as he justified turning his back — his words — on his unequivocal promise to change the way Canadians elect their federal government.

Northerners Press Trudeau On Electoral Reform; Pm Admits 'I Turned My Back'