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Indian green card holder arrested for $100M bank fraud
Prosecutors allege Mahender Makhijani used forged real estate loan documents to conceal senior creditors and secure financing from a victim bank.
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Malvika Choudhary - Wed, 10, Jun 2026
- 17:32 EDT
- 63
Mahender Makhijani / X/ @USAttyEssayli
U.S. authorities arrested and charged a lawful permanent resident from India in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud a bank out of nearly $100 million.
44-year-old Mahender Makhijani, of Corona del Mar, California, was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on June 11.
Also Read: Indian-origin businessman faces denaturalization over H-1B fraud
Prosecutors allege that Makhijani controlled Cantor Group V LLC, a Newport Beach-based company that had entered into a lending agreement requiring it to pledge only first-lien real estate loans as collateral to a bank.
Mahender Makhijani, 44, a lawful permanent resident from India living in Corona del Mar, was arrested this morning on a federal criminal complaint charging him with defrauding a bank out of nearly $100 million.
— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) June 10, 2026
Makhijani controlled Cantor Group V LLC, a Newport Beach-based… pic.twitter.com/wEcSe5mQpW
According to the complaint, between September 2024 and April 2025, Makhijani allegedly falsified title insurance policies to make it appear that Cantor Group held first-lien positions on certain properties when, in fact, other creditors had priority claims.
Federal authorities allege that Makhijani and a subordinate used Adobe software to forge documents, alter metadata, and submit the falsified records to the bank. Prosecutors further claim that misleading explanations were provided to the bank through phone calls and spreadsheets to conceal the alleged fraud.
U.S. Attorney's Office officials said the alleged scheme exposed the bank to losses approaching $100 million.
"Our nation's economy and welfare depend on a healthy banking system. When lenders are deceived, it has downstream effects on consumers and businesses," said Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, in a statement posted on social media.
Makhijani was scheduled to make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana on June 10. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.
Federal authorities emphasized that a criminal complaint contains allegations and that Makhijani is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
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