Sunday, December 21, 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

Mob Vandalises Hindu Temples, Houses In Bangladesh

Mob Vandalises Hindu Temples, Houses In Bangladesh
The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon when hundreds of people armed with locally-made weapons attacked the Hindu community at Brahmanbaria's Nasirnagar upazila, reportedly in response to a Facebook post satirising the Masjid al-Haram

Mob Vandalises Hindu Temples, Houses In Bangladesh

Trump Now Just One Point Behind Clinton, Says Latest Poll

Trump Now Just One Point Behind Clinton, Says Latest Poll
The results are based on a random sample of 1,781 adults surveyed by telephone on October 25-28, and are within the poll's margin of error.

Trump Now Just One Point Behind Clinton, Says Latest Poll

After 18 Years, Court Orders Life Term For Indian-Origin UK Man's Murderer

After 18 Years, Court Orders Life Term For Indian-Origin UK Man's Murderer
A Scottish national was today sentenced to life in jail for the murder of an Indian-origin man 18 years ago.

After 18 Years, Court Orders Life Term For Indian-Origin UK Man's Murderer

Former Indian Student Dharun Ravi Pleads Guilty In Webcam Spying Case

Former Indian Student Dharun Ravi Pleads Guilty In Webcam Spying Case
A former Indian student of a US public research university, whose gay roommate killed himself in 2010 after being captured in a sexual act on webcam, has pleaded guilty to attempted invasion of privacy.

Former Indian Student Dharun Ravi Pleads Guilty In Webcam Spying Case

India Growing At 8 Per Cent, Why US Is Not: Donald Trump Asks Supporters

India Growing At 8 Per Cent, Why US Is Not: Donald Trump Asks Supporters
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday criticised outgoing President Barack Obama for leading a slow economic growth, arguing that if a "large country" like India can grow at eight per cent, why the US is not.

India Growing At 8 Per Cent, Why US Is Not: Donald Trump Asks Supporters

Baby 'Born Twice' After Miracle Surgery In US

Baby 'Born Twice' After Miracle Surgery In US
A baby girl in the US was successfully 'born' for the second time, after being taken out of her mother's womb for 20 minutes at 23 weeks of pregnancy for a groundbreaking surgery to save her life.

Baby 'Born Twice' After Miracle Surgery In US