Murugan and Nawaz could face a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment.
Indian American Jayavel Murugan, CEO of a Silicon Valley-based staffing firm Dynasoft Synergy has been indicted by the Federal Court for using fraudulent documents while filing H-1B petitions of IT professionals from India.
According to AP, Murugan and another Indian American named Syed Nawaz has been charged for allegedly filing false documents to bring people to the US on H-1B visas.
If found guilty, Murugan and Nawaz will face a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment or up to $250,000 of fine or both.
Both men conspired to get the visa for Indians after making false documents that suggested that had jobs at Stanford University, Cisco Systems and Brocade Communications Systems, according to the prosecutor.
The prosecutor alleged that Dynasoft moved ahead with the fraud to place H-1B visa workers in American firms as a means to encash huge profit.
The federal prosecutors said that they have been involved in such activities since 2010, and had no intention of receiving the foreign workers named on the applications.
Dynasoft Synergy website says it is a California-based company that provides software automation and enhances the world of Business Intelligence reporting. The company has an office in Chennai, too.
The incident is reported at a time when the debate over H-1B reform is at its peak and the Trump Administration is rumored of imposing stricter rules to control H-1B abuse. The USICS has already suspended the premium processing of H-1B visas and reform bills targeting misuse of H-1B program. US lawmakers have also proposed an increase in the minimum wage to the US Congress.
H-1B visas, intended for skilled foreign workers, are distributed by lottery, can take up to six months to process.
The Trump administration is also planning to “reduce overall H-1B processing times,” and shift from a lottery system to a merit-based system.