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Indian-origin men plead guilty in H-1B conspiracy case
Prosecutors said the scheme involved filing visa petitions for non-existent university roles to secure H-1B approvals and later placing workers with private clients.
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Malvika Choudhary - Sat, 18, Apr 2026
- 16:59 EDT
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Representative image / File photo
Two Indian-origin men pleaded guilty on April 16 in connection to committing H-1B visa fraud, U.S. federal prosecutors said.
Sampath Rajidi, 51, and Sreedhar Mada, 51, both based in Dublin, California, admitted to the charges, with prosecutors saying they exploited the H-1B visa system by falsely claiming foreign workers would be employed on projects for the University of California.
Also Read: Indian-origin executives charged in U.S. fraud case
Court records show Rajidi ran two visa services firms – S-Team Software Inc. and Uptrend Technologies LLC – that petitioned for H-1B specialty occupation visas, which allow U.S. employers to temporarily hire foreign workers in skilled roles.
Mada served as chief information officer at University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources in Davis, a role that gave him institutional credibility but not independent hiring authority for such visas.
Between June 2020 and January 2023, the two men submitted multiple visa petitions falsely stating that workers would be placed in roles with the University of California. Prosecutors said Mada used his official designation to support the filings, despite knowing the positions listed did not exist.
Instead of working on university projects, the visa beneficiaries were redirected to other client companies after the visas were approved, according to investigators. Authorities said the false claims were material to decisions made by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which administers the H-1B program.
The case highlights concerns around misuse of the H-1B system, which is capped annually and often oversubscribed. By securing approvals based on non-existent roles, the defendants not only gained a competitive edge over other staffing firms but also reduced the number of visas available to legitimate applicants, prosecutors said.
The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the Diplomatic Security Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and USCIS’s Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate.
Rajidi and Mada are scheduled to be sentenced on July 30, by Troy L. Nunley. Each faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The final sentence will be determined by the court based on federal sentencing guidelines.
U.S. authorities in recent years have increased scrutiny of H-1B filings, including compliance checks and fraud detection measures, amid concerns about shell job offers and third-party placements that do not match initial visa claims.
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