Friday, December 19, 2025
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

Fort Lauderdale Airport Gunman In Custody, Officials Say

Fort Lauderdale Airport Gunman In Custody, Officials Say
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Official: Fort Lauderdale airport shooter a passenger on Canadian flight, checked gun in bag, loaded it in bathroom

Fort Lauderdale Airport Gunman In Custody, Officials Say

5 Dead, 8 Injured After Shooting At Fort Lauderdale Airport In Florida

5 Dead, 8 Injured After Shooting At Fort Lauderdale Airport In Florida
Authorities say five people were killed and eight were wounded after a lone suspect opened fire at the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, international airport.

5 Dead, 8 Injured After Shooting At Fort Lauderdale Airport In Florida

Founder of India’s Top LGBTQ Magazine, Gaylaxy, Bags Sher Vancouver's Youth Leadership Award

Founder of India’s Top LGBTQ Magazine, Gaylaxy, Bags Sher Vancouver's Youth Leadership Award
For the LGBTQ community in India, 2016 was a brutal year that witnessed defeat of many attempts to revoke Section 377 of India’s penal code.

Founder of India’s Top LGBTQ Magazine, Gaylaxy, Bags Sher Vancouver's Youth Leadership Award

US Army Allows Turbans, Beards, Hijabs In Military

US Army Allows Turbans, Beards, Hijabs In Military
The US Army has issued a new regulation under which servicemen who wear turbans, hijabs or beards can now be enrolled in the military, making the force more inclusive of minority religions and cultures.

US Army Allows Turbans, Beards, Hijabs In Military

Cop Body-Slammed Teen Girl To Floor. Shocking Video Goes Viral

Cop Body-Slammed Teen Girl To Floor. Shocking Video Goes Viral
As two girls fought in the cafeteria area of a North Carolina high school, another student raised her cellphone to make a video. She sparked a furor when she captured a police officer picking up and slamming down a student to the floor.

Cop Body-Slammed Teen Girl To Floor. Shocking Video Goes Viral

Donald Trump Appoints Raj Shah To White House Post As His Deputy Assistant

Donald Trump Appoints Raj Shah To White House Post As His Deputy Assistant
US President-elect Donald Trump has appointed an expert on strategic communications and political research, Raj Shah, as his deputy assistant and research director on the White House staff.

Donald Trump Appoints Raj Shah To White House Post As His Deputy Assistant