A former employee in Apple’s Global Service Supply Chain has been charged for allegedly defrauding the Cupertino firm out of over $10 million worth of products and services, according to court filings in San Jose, California seen by Reuters.
The ex-staffer, Dhirendra Prasad, was responsible for making order purchases and invoicing them back to Apple. Prosecutors accused the 52-year-old of using his position to develop relationships with suppliers to take kickbacks and steal equipment.
Prasad worked at Apple for more than a decade from 2008, before the tech giant fired him in December 2018. He faces a total of five indictments, including two counts of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, two counts of conspiracy to launder fraud proceeds, and one charge of tax evasion. He is set to appear in court later this month to answer these charges.
The United States federal government has been permitted to seize assets amounting to $5 million from Prasad in a civil forfeiture, including five real estate properties and multiple financial accounts. The US Attorney’s office in San Jose said the government was seeking to keep the seized assets as proceeds of crime.
In separate federal cases, the owners of two separate suppliers that worked with Prasad have admitted to conspiring with him to commit fraud and launder money.
