An Indian national has been arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit H1B visa fraud and for inducing foreign nationals to return to the US using fraudulently obtained H1B visas, federal prosecutors said on Friday.
Arrested on Thursday, 48-year-old Ashish Sawhney allegedly used four corporations to orchestrate the improper submission of fraudulent applications for H1B specialty-occupation work visas, they said.
Charged with 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 allegedly generated gross profits from 2011 to 2016 of roughly $21 million, the prosecutors said.
If convicted, Sawhney faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
A resident of Sterling, a Virginia suburb of Washington DC, he submitted or caused to be submitted H-1B visa application materials stating that the foreign workers named in the applications would fulfill a particular job, where actually, no such job existed at the time of filing, the prosecutors said.
Sawhney also attempted to naturalize as a US citizen by submitting an application containing false statements, they said.
(With Inputs From PTI)
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