Close X
Wednesday, November 13, 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

Chasing Cricket Ball, 6-Year-Old Falls Into Sewer, Dies In Delhi

Chasing Cricket Ball, 6-Year-Old Falls Into Sewer, Dies In Delhi
In a tragic incident, a six-year- old boy died after he fell and drowned into a sewer while chasing his cricket ball in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar on Thursday, police said.

Chasing Cricket Ball, 6-Year-Old Falls Into Sewer, Dies In Delhi

Small Plane With Student And Instructor Crashes Near Airport In Duncan, B.C.

An instructor and a student have survived a small plane crash just north of the airport in Duncan, B.C.

Small Plane With Student And Instructor Crashes Near Airport In Duncan, B.C.

Local Prosecutor Rupen R. Shah Becomes First Indian-American Judge In Virginia

Local Prosecutor Rupen R. Shah Becomes First Indian-American Judge In Virginia
Rupen R. Shah, who is currently the Chief Deputy of Augusta County Commonwealth in Virginia, has become the first Indian American judge to be elected the southeastern US state.

Local Prosecutor Rupen R. Shah Becomes First Indian-American Judge In Virginia

New Legislation To Tighten H-1B Visas To Foreign Techies

New Legislation To Tighten H-1B Visas To Foreign Techies
We need programmes dedicated to putting American workers first. When skilled foreign workers are needed to meet the demands of our labour market, we must also ensure that visa applicants who honed their skills at American colleges 

New Legislation To Tighten H-1B Visas To Foreign Techies

We Resolved Tough Issues; No Place For Complacency: US Envoy Richard Verma's Parting Message

We Resolved Tough Issues; No Place For Complacency: US Envoy Richard Verma's Parting Message
A day before he demits office, US Ambassador to India Richard Verma, on Thursday underlined how the two countries resolved some "tough issues" during his tenure, including nuclear liability, even as he cautioned against being "complacent".

We Resolved Tough Issues; No Place For Complacency: US Envoy Richard Verma's Parting Message

Indian Abducted In Malaysia, Sushma Swaraj Assures Family Of Help

A 46-year-old Indian has been abducted in Malaysia and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has directed the Indian Mission in that country to send her a report about the case so that he can be rescued.

Indian Abducted In Malaysia, Sushma Swaraj Assures Family Of Help