Dhirendra Prasad, 52, worked for 10 years as a buyer in
Apple's Global Service Supply Chain department. A federal criminal case
unsealed Friday alleges that he exploited his position to defraud the company
in several schemes, including stealing parts and causing the company to pay for
items and services it never received.
A court has allowed the federal government to seize five
real estate properties and financial accounts worth about $5 million from
Prasad, and the government is seeking to keep those assets as proceeds of
crime, the US Attorney's office in San Jose said in a news release.
Prasad is scheduled to appear in court next Thursday to
answer to charges of engaging in a conspiracy to commit fraud, money
laundering, and tax evasion. It's unclear whether he has retained a lawyer. A
phone number listed for him was disconnected.
Two owners of vendor companies that did business with Apple
have admitted to conspiring with Prasad to commit fraud and launder money,
prosecutors said.
Prasad is scheduled to make a first appearance in US
District Court in San Jose next week on Thursday. Fraud, money laundering, and
tax evasion each carry maximum sentences of five to 20 years, but sentencing
guidelines and judges' discretion mean most people convicted of fraud in
federal court receive less than the maximum sentence.