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Indian-American woman falsely branded a visa fraudster
HAF and IAAC called for accountability after federal authorities confirmed the Houston resident is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
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Malvika Choudhary - Wed, 05, Aug 2026
- 14:27 EDT
- 39
Sadhana Gollapudi / X/ @CyberGreen09
A viral post falsely accusing an Indian-American woman of visa fraud has prompted calls for accountability after a U.S. attorney confirmed she is a naturalized U.S. citizen.
The controversy began after the X account Cyber Green shared a video of Houston resident Sadhana Gollapudi performing a traditional Indian classical dance and falsely claimed she had remained in the United States for more than a decade by repeatedly enrolling in academic programs while working as a dancer and tutor in violation of her student visa.
Also Read: ICE seeks $470K fine against Indian-origin attorney
Meet Sadhana Gollapudi, forever F1 student since 2014. Sadhana enjoys traditional barefoot crab dancing in Houston, Texas. For 12 years, she has played the student visa game, enrolling in multiple programs. Works as a dancer & cash tutor violating her visa #visafraud #publicvideo pic.twitter.com/0J2WFjEwkH
— CyberGreen09 (@CyberGreen09) July 30, 2026
The post, which received more than three million views, also alleged that officials at the U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad had improperly approved and renewed her purported visa.
Responding to the allegations, Aaron Reitz, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, said his office reviewed the matter after it was flagged on social media.
"Thanks for flagging. My office looked. She's a naturalized US citizen, not here on student visa," Reitz wrote on X.
He added: "As US Atty over Houston, I take visa fraud seriously. We prosecute it to the fullest. Neither illegal aliens nor those who obtain legal status illegally are welcome on American soil."
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) criticized Reitz's response, arguing that his office had investigated an American citizen based on what it described as "a racist/hateful post by a Pakistani actor stan account."
Addressing Reitz on X, HAF Executive Director Suhag Shukla wrote, "You actually responded to a racist/hateful post by a Pakistani actor stan account and investigated a US citizen performing classical Indian dance in front of her house."
Shukla also questioned why Reitz had not apologized to Gollapudi or pledged to pursue those responsible for filing what she described as a false allegation.
"Did I miss the part where you apologized for investigating an innocent citizen & pledged to prosecute this clear attempt to doxx and target an American under Texas Penal Code 37.08 (making a false allegation to your office)?"
An American woman was filmed, named and falsely branded a “visa fraudster” before millions.
— Indian American Advocacy Council (@IAACouncil) August 4, 2026
The office of @USAttyReitz , U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, confirmed the allegation was false: she is a naturalized American citizen.
Yet rather than condemn the… https://t.co/cEJfwxYELi
The Indian American Advocacy Council (IAAC) also condemned the incident, saying Gollapudi had been "filmed, named and falsely branded a 'visa fraudster' before millions" despite Reitz's office confirming that she is a naturalized American citizen.
The organization criticized Reitz for using Gollapudi's exoneration to comment on illegal immigration rather than condemning the false accusations against her.
"Yet rather than condemn the person who publicly smeared her, Reitz used her exoneration to rant about 'illegal aliens' and who is 'welcome on American soil.'"
"She is not a guest. She is not a suspect. She is an American," IAAC added.
The advocacy group called on Cyber Green to delete the original post, issue "an equally prominent retraction and apology," and preserve all records related to its publication and online reach. It also appealed to Gollapudi, or anyone who knows her, to contact the organization, saying it was prepared to help document evidence and connect her with qualified legal counsel to evaluate a potential defamation claim.
"Naturalized Americans are not second-class citizens, and publicly destroying someone's reputation with a reckless lie must have consequences," IAAC said. "You do not have to fight this alone."
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