Dhirendra Prasad Charged with Defrauding Former Employer Apple, Inc, Money Laundering and Tax Crimes
March 18, 2022 - Mountain House, CA resident and former employee of Apple, Inc, Dhirendra Prasad (52) was charged yesterday in federal court for allegedly defrauding his former employer of millions of dollars, money laundering and tax evasion.
According to the court case filings:
...Prasad was employed by Apple from December of 2008 through December of 2018. For most of that time, Prasad was a “buyer” in Apple’s Global Service Supply Chain and responsible for purchasing parts and services from vendors on Apple’s behalf. Prasad is alleged to have exploited his position by engaging in multiple different schemes to defraud Apple, including taking kickbacks, stealing parts, and causing Apple to pay for items and services it never received, resulting in a loss of more than $10,000,000. Prasad is also described as evading tax on the schemes’ proceeds, which he also laundered.
Prasad’s alleged co-conspirators are Robert Gary Hansen and Don M. Baker, both of whom reside in the Central District of California. Hansen and Baker both owned vendor companies that did business with Apple, and the charges allege they each conspired with Prasad to commit fraud and money laundering. Neither Hansen nor Baker were charged with Prasad, but they were each earlier charged in separate federal criminal cases also unsealed yesterday and they have both admitted their involvement.
Criminal Charges and Potential Penalty
The charges against Dhirendra Prasad include five counts:- First Count - Conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349
- Second & Third Counts - Conspiracy to engage in money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h)
- Fourth Count - Conspiracy to defraud the United States in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371
- Fifth Count - Tax evasion in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7201
- 20 years on first count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349
- 20 years on second & third counts of conspiracy to engage in money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h)
- Five years on fourth count of conspiracy to defraud the United States in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371
- Five years on fifth count of tax evasion in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7201
The initial court appearance of Dhirendra Prasad on the above specified criminal charges in San Jose federal court is set for March 24, 2022.
Important
The charges filed against Dhirendra Prasad are mere allegations and he must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.Pending Civil Forfeiture
In addition to the above specified five criminal charges, a civil forfeiture was filed on September 24, 2021 against Dhirendra Prasad.The civil forfeiture action seeks to forfeit five pieces of real property and a dozen financial accounts with an estimated aggregate value of of $5,000,000 – have been frozen or otherwise encumbered pursuant to a court-authorized seizure warrant.
The civil forfeiture action remains pending.