2 Indian-Origin Men Charged With H-1B Fraud. They Hired For 'Ghost' Jobs

Two Indian-origin men have admitted to orchestrating a multi-year visa fraud linked to the H-1B programme in the United States, according to the US Justice Department. The accused, Sampath Rajidi and Sreedhar Mada, both 51 and residents of Dublin, California, used "ghost" job offers linked to the University of California to secure work permits for foreign nationals.

In a statement, the Justice Department said Rajidi operated two visa-servicing companies -- S-Team Software Inc. and Uptrend Technologies LLC, while Mada served as Chief Information Officer of the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR), located in Davis. 

But the Justice Department investigation found that Mada was serving only in a supervisory authority and had no power to hire H-1B workers for his department without consulting people in senior positions.

Between June 2020 and January 2023, the two submitted multiple fraudulent H-1B visa petitions using Rajidi's firm, claiming that foreign workers would be employed in roles linked to the University of California. Mada used his position at UCANR to bolster the false assertion that beneficiaries would be staffed on projects for the university.

Once the visas were approved, the two accused "market these beneficiaries to other clients, having already secured H1-B visas based on the false assertions".

This move effectively took away the limited H-1b visa spots from applicants at other competing firms who were playing by the rules.

"They submitted false information knowing such information was material to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) decisions in granting visas. As a result of their conspiracy, Rajidi and Mada gained an unfair advantage over other firms and depleted the pool of H-1B visas available to competing firms," the Justice Department said. 

Both Rajidi and Mada have admitted to their crime and face five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.