Yesterday, November 1, Dhirendra Prasad pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States in federal court. The update was announced by Special Agent in Charge Mark H. Pearson.
According to a official release From the IRS, Prasad explained that his tenure at Apple spanned from 2008 to 2018, during which time he served primarily as a buyer in Apple’s global services supply chain. Among Prasad’s duties was purchasing parts and services for Apple from outside vendors.
As early as 2011, Prasad admitted that he began “taking bribes, inflating invoices, stealing parts, and making Apple pay for items and services it never received.”
His scam continued through 2018, eventually costing Apple more than $17 million.
Robert Gary Hansen and Don M. Baker, both California residents, served as Prasad’s co-conspirators throughout his scheme. In one case, the IRS shared, Prasad shipped motherboards from Apple’s warehouse to Baker’s company, CTrends. Baker then had the motherboards collected for parts, while Prasad arranged for Apple to place purchase orders for the components. Baker returned the parts to Apple, and eventually CTrends invoiced Apple for its own motherboards.
Similar situations occurred for years.
In addition to pleading guilty to fraud, Prasad admitted to tax evasion that resulted in a $1.8 million loss to the IRS.
United States District Judge Beth L. Freeman scheduled Prasad’s sentencing hearing for March 14, 2023. He is currently out of custody pending that date in court.
Apple Computers, founded by Steve Wozniack and the late Steve Jobs on April 1, 1976, has become known for its wide range of stylish and easy-to-use technology products.
The Cupertino-based company put itself on the map with Macintosh computers and today is best known for products like iPhones, MacBook laptops, and AirPod bluetooth headsets.
What do you think about Prasad’s fraud scheme against Apple?
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