Indian immigrant convicted of operating multi-million dollar scam in US

An Indian immigrant in the US, Amit Chaudhry, was sentenced to nine years in prison on Thursday for identity theft, money laundering and visa fraud, reported The Washington Post.

Chaudhry (44), from Ashburn, Virginia helped relatives in India launder money from  stolen credit cards and identities through shell bank accounts. They operated a multimillion-dollar scam. 

Also, as part of a related scheme that advertised cheap travel packages, money would be stolen from the customers and their hotel and airfare would be paid for with stolen credit cards. After the fraudulent charges were discovered, over 1,000 customers found parts of their trips cancelled.

With help from a co-conspirator working at American Express in India, the group made more than $25 million off fake credit cards.

Chaudhry’s attorneys said he was acting at the behest of relatives in India. “This was all done out of family loyalty,” defence attorney Danny Onorato said. He added that Chaudhry had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome.

“I never really dreamt of being a felon,” Chaudhry said in federal court in Alexandria on Thursday, adding, “This is going to haunt me for the rest of my life.”

Chaudhry, who emigrated from India in 1992 is cooperating with authorities to find the others involved. Five of those co-conspirators have already pleaded guilty in Alexandria; two have been arrested in India.