Dhirendra Prasad (Dhirendra Prasad)

Biography

2023: Sentence - 3 years in prison for stealing $17m in electronics parts

On April 26, 2023, the US Department of Justice announced that former Apple employee Dhirendra Prasad was sentenced to three years in prison and a large fine for conspiracy to defraud.

Prasad, 55, worked for Apple from December 2008 to December 2018. He participated in the global supply chain - in particular, he was responsible for the purchase of various components. The accused began his fraudulent activity approximately in 2011: he received kickbacks, committed theft of components, overstated the invoices and fraudulently charged Apple for goods that were never shipped. Prasad also admitted evading taxes on the proceeds of his illegal schemes and colluding with the owners of two supplying companies.

Apple employee received 3 years in prison for stealing $17 million in electronics parts

According to the case file, Prasad abused his official position. Among other things, he used insider information about fraud detection methods at Apple to hide his criminal activities. Prasad was given the authority to independently make decisions on behalf of the employer, which he used when organizing fraudulent schemes. The amount of damage caused by Apple is estimated at about $17 million. At the same time, as noted, working in a company from Cupertino, Prasad officially received hundreds of thousands of dollars in the form of wages, bonuses and other rewards.

By a court decision, in addition to imprisonment, Prasad will have to pay compensation in the total amount of $19,270,683. Of these, $17,398,104 will go to Apple, another $1,872,579 to the US Tax Office. In addition, property and various assets worth $5.4 million were confiscated from the fraudster. An additional $8.1 million must be handed over to the criminal in the form of cash.^[1]

2022: Recognition of receiving $17 million in kickbacks from customers

On November 1, 2022, former Apple worker Dhirendra Prasad pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud. Damage due to numerous deception schemes amounted to more than $15 million.

According to the United States Department of Justice, 52-year-old Prasad from Mountain House (California) worked for Apple from 2008 to 2018. Most of this time he acted as a buyer in Apple's large-scale supply network. The duties of the accused, in particular, included the purchase of components and the conclusion of contracts for various services for Apple.

Dhirendra Prasad Admits To Receiving $17 Million Kickbacks From Customers

Dhirendra Prasad confirmed that he began fraudulent activities back in 2011, taking kickbacks, overcharging, stealing components and forcing Apple to pay for goods and services that were never received. The accused conducted his illegal activities for many years, and Apple's total losses from this amounted to $17 million.

Prasad admitted that his accomplices in the fraudulent schemes were Robert Gary Hansen and Don M. Baker, who owned supplier companies for Apple. They had previously been charged in separate criminal cases and admitted involvement in criminal schemes.

One of the fraud schemes is given. In 2013, motherboards were shipped from Apple's warehouse to Baker's company, CTrends. Then the components from these boards were extracted, which were then supplied by Apple itself. Thus, the company paid for its own assets.

In addition to numerous schemes to illegally obtain money, Dhirendra Prasad admitted engaging in tax fraud and conspiracy to defraud. The defendant now faces more than 20 years in prison. United States District Judge Beth L. Freeman scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 14, 2023.^[2]

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