An IT staffing executive was arrested Thursday on suspicion of orchestrating a $21 million H-1B visa fraud conspiracy, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The executive, Ashish Sawhney, allegedly used four companies to submit fraudulent applications for H-1B visas, according to the office.
“Sawhney submitted or caused to be submitted H-1B visa application materials stating that the foreign workers named in the applications would fulfill a specific job, where in fact, no such job existed at the time of filing,” according to the office.
The firms provided IT staffing and software development services and posted gross profits of approximately $21 million between 2011 and 2016. The firms were Value Consulting LLC, Value Software Products Inc, Business Pointers Inc. and E-Train ERP Inc.
Sawhney faces two counts of conspiracy, three counts of inducing an alien to come to and reside in the US for commercial advantage or private financial gain, and one count of attempted naturalization fraud. Sawhney faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, although actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.