A former employee at Apple has pleaded guilty to defrauding the trillion-dollar company of over $17 million over the course of seven years, reveals a report by NBC Bay Area.
The convict, Dhirendra Prasad, has admitted this in a written plea agreement his acts and schemes that he conducted while working as a buyer for Apple¡¯s Global Service Supply Chain, reveals the US Attorney¡¯s Office.?
According to the prosecutors, Prasad was involved in ¡®taking kickbacks, inflating invoices, stealing parts and asking Apple to pay for services and goods that were never received.
He was charged for his crimes in March 2022. For one of his schemes, Prasad arranged to have Apple¡¯s components shipped to an outside vendor¡¯s warehouse, where they were repacked and sold back to the Cupertino giant.
Previous reports by prosecutors have revealed that Prasad also evaded taxes and laundered proceeds from his schemes. After Apple found out about these acts, Prasad was fired by Apple in 2018, after nearly a decade of employment.?
Aged 52, Prasad has entered guilty pleas on multiple counts, including conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to defraud the US government.?
As per the report he is expected to be sentenced sometime next March and he could face over 20 years in prison.?
Two co-conspirators -- outside vendors who were involved in business with Apple -- who worked alongside Prasad have also been charged in separate federal cases.
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