Close X
Sunday, November 24, 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

Go Back To Your Country: Indian Girl Abused and Harassed On Train in New York

Go Back To Your Country: Indian Girl Abused and Harassed On Train in New York
An Indian-origin woman posted a video on her Facebook profile that shows a man hurling racial slurs at her and another Asian woman in a train in New York, USA.

Go Back To Your Country: Indian Girl Abused and Harassed On Train in New York

Indian-Americans Launch Online Petition To Clearly Denounce Kansas Killing

Indian-Americans Launch Online Petition To Clearly Denounce Kansas Killing
Indian-Americans have launched an online petition calling upon US President Donald Trump to "clearly and unequivocally" denounce the fatal shooting of an Indian engineer in an apparent hate crime in Kansas city.

Indian-Americans Launch Online Petition To Clearly Denounce Kansas Killing

Donald Trump's Spy Pick 'Shocked' By India Launching 104 Satellites

Donald Trump's Spy Pick 'Shocked' By India Launching 104 Satellites
US President Donald Trump's nominee to be the Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, has said he was "shocked" to know that India successfully launched over 100 satellites in one go, asserting that the US cannot afford to be seen lagging behind.

Donald Trump's Spy Pick 'Shocked' By India Launching 104 Satellites

Donald Trump's Canada-Like Merit-Based Immigration Proposal Could Benefit Indians

Donald Trump's Canada-Like Merit-Based Immigration Proposal Could Benefit Indians
US President Donald Trump's proposal for a merit-based immigration system has the potential to benefit Indians, a large number of whom have high levels of education and skills.

Donald Trump's Canada-Like Merit-Based Immigration Proposal Could Benefit Indians

Indian-Origin Cartoonist In South Africa Asked To Shut His Design School

Indian-Origin Cartoonist In South Africa Asked To Shut His Design School
Well-known Indian-origin South African cartoonist Nanda Sooben, who often caricatures leading political figures, has been asked by the government to shut his design school, his supporters said.

Indian-Origin Cartoonist In South Africa Asked To Shut His Design School

'Monster Now Devouring Its Own Creator': India Slams Pakistan At Geneva Session

'Monster Now Devouring Its Own Creator': India Slams Pakistan At Geneva Session
Pakistan created terror outfits against India and the "monster" is now devouring its own creator, India's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva said on Wednesday.

'Monster Now Devouring Its Own Creator': India Slams Pakistan At Geneva Session