NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Dublin, CA, April 21, 2026: Two Indian-origin men have pleaded guilty in a federal court in California to conspiracy to commit H-1B visa fraud, admitting to a scheme that involved filing petitions for jobs that did not exist.
The men, identified as Sampath Rajidi, 51, and Sreedhar Mada, 51, both of Dublin in the East Bay, carried out the fraud between June 2020 and January 2023, according to federal prosecutors.
Authorities said the duo submitted H-1B visa petitions claiming that foreign workers would be employed in legitimate positions within the University of California system. However, those jobs were fictitious. After securing visa approvals, the workers were instead placed with other private clients or assigned to different roles, in violation of H-1B program rules that require a specific employer–employee relationship tied to an approved position.
Prosecutors said Rajidi operated visa consulting firms, including S-Team Software Inc. and Uptrend Technologies LLC, which were used to file the fraudulent petitions. Mada, who served as a Chief Information Officer with the University of California’s Agriculture and Natural Resources division, allegedly used his position to lend credibility to the applications, despite not having authority to hire H-1B workers.
Federal officials said the scheme misled U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and gave the accused an unfair advantage over legitimate employers seeking high-skilled foreign workers. They added that such fraud can reduce the number of visas available to genuine applicants.
Both men now face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is expected later this year.
The case comes amid a broader crackdown by U.S. authorities on immigration fraud, particularly involving misuse of the H-1B visa program through consulting arrangements and third-party placements. Officials have indicated increased scrutiny of petitions and a willingness to revisit past approvals as part of enforcement efforts.
