SAN JOSE (Calif.) — An ex-Apple employee was charged with fraud, according to federal prosecutors. He took kickbacks, stole equipment, and laundered money.
Dhirendra Prasad (52), was a buyer in Apple’s Global Service Supply Chain division for 10 years. Friday’s federal criminal case alleges that Prasad exploited his position in order to defraud the company. He allegedly stole parts and caused the company to pay for services it never received.
A court allowed Prasad to seize five real property properties and financial accounts valued at $5 million. The government wants to keep these assets as proceeds from crime, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in San Jose in a press release.
Prasad will appear in court on Thursday to face charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering. It is not clear if Prasad has retained a lawyer. The phone number for him was not working.
Prosecutors said that Prasad and two vendors who did business with Apple agreed to conspire to launder money and commit fraud.
Fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion all carry maximum sentences of 5 to 20 years. However, sentencing guidelines as well as judges’ discretion means that most fraud-related convictions in federal court are less than the maximum sentence.
