The court sentenced Dhirendra Prasad, a former Apple employee of Indian origin, to three years in prison and ordered him to pay over $19 million (₹155.67 crore) for conspiring to defraud the tech giant and for related tax crimes.
What Happened? As revealed by PTI, the 55-year-old exploited his position at Apple and conspired with two Apple vendors to steal approximately $17 million (₹139.29 crore) by taking kickbacks, stealing parts, inflating invoices, and causing Apple to pay for items and services it never received.
Prasad’s criminal conduct centered around his employment at Apple from December 2008 to December 2018. He used his position to make autonomous decisions to benefit himself, betraying his employer’s trust and enriching himself at the company’s expense.
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The US Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Prasad with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, two counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, and one count of tax evasion.
He ordered to forfeit over $5.49 million (₹44.9 crore) worth of assets already seized by the government and to pay restitution of $17.39 million (₹142.53 crore) to Apple and $1.87 million (₹15.34 crore) to the Internal Revenue Service.
Prasad used insider information regarding the company’s fraud-detection techniques to design his criminal schemes to avoid detection.
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