Close X
Monday, November 18, 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

Canadian Rugby Player Dies In Adirondack Tournament

Canadian Rugby Player Dies In Adirondack Tournament
A Canadian rugby player has collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack at a tournament in the Adirondack Mountains.

Canadian Rugby Player Dies In Adirondack Tournament

My Wife Murdered In ‘Honour Killing' In Pakistan: Grieving Husband Releases Shock Photo Of Wife's

My Wife Murdered In ‘Honour Killing' In Pakistan: Grieving Husband Releases Shock Photo Of Wife's
The husband of a Pakistani-origin British woman who was allegedly killed for "honour" in Punjab province on July 20 has demanded justice from the UK and Pakistan governments.

My Wife Murdered In ‘Honour Killing' In Pakistan: Grieving Husband Releases Shock Photo Of Wife's

Indian Geologist Seeks Due Recognition For Canada Fossil Discovery

Indian Geologist Seeks Due Recognition For Canada Fossil Discovery
He's happy that his 1967 discovery of a fossil in Canada has been recognised by Unesco, but sadly his name has not been mentioned. Simply put, the contribution of an Indian seems to have been ignored.

Indian Geologist Seeks Due Recognition For Canada Fossil Discovery

Brother Kills Two Sisters For 'Honour' In Pakistan For Marrying Outside Caste

In the latest case of honour killings in Pakistan, two sisters were killed by their brother on the eve of their weddings in central Punjab province

Brother Kills Two Sisters For 'Honour' In Pakistan For Marrying Outside Caste

South Asia Not Crucial For Trump, India Important For Us: Hillary's Advisor

South Asia Not Crucial For Trump, India Important For Us: Hillary's Advisor
It is of "great concern" that Donald Trump has not sketched out his policy on the crucial South Asian region, a top Hillary Clinton Campaign adviser has said while asserting that the Democratic presidential nominee has a very strong record on ties with India.

South Asia Not Crucial For Trump, India Important For Us: Hillary's Advisor

Pakistani Man One Of Two 'Accomplices' Charged In Paris Attacks

Pakistani Man One Of Two 'Accomplices' Charged In Paris Attacks
The 35-year-old Pakistani Mohammad Usman and 29-year-old Algerian Adel Haddadi were charged with “criminal conspiracy with terrorists”

Pakistani Man One Of Two 'Accomplices' Charged In Paris Attacks