ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A $21 million fraud scheme built on ghost jobs and false promises has landed Ashish Sawhney, 48, of Sterling, Virginia, behind bars. Sawhney was arrested today on federal charges tied to a sprawling conspiracy to defraud the U.S. immigration system using fraudulent H-1B visa applications.
Court documents reveal Sawhney allegedly ran the scheme through four shell corporations: Value Consulting, LLC, Value Software Products, Inc., Business Pointers, Inc., and E-Train ERP, Inc. All were based in the Eastern District of Virginia and claimed to offer IT staffing and software development. In reality, prosecutors say, they were vehicles for filing H-1B applications that listed jobs which never existed.
Sawhney, identified as director or registered agent for each company, allegedly submitted paperwork claiming foreign workers would fill specialized tech roles. But investigators say no such positions were available at the time — a lie that allowed him to collect fees and profits while workers entered the country under false pretenses. Between 2011 and 2016, the scheme generated approximately $21 million in gross profits.
The indictment charges Sawhney with two counts of conspiracy, three counts of inducing aliens to come to and reside in the U.S. for commercial gain, and one count of attempted naturalization fraud. As an Indian national, Sawhney allegedly lied on his citizenship application, falsely claiming eligibility based on lawful status derived from the very fraud he orchestrated.
If convicted, Sawhney faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison. While actual sentences often fall below the cap, the case draws attention to long-standing vulnerabilities in the H-1B program. The investigation was led by the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, a multi-agency unit including Homeland Security Investigations, Diplomatic Security Service, Labor Department OIG, and USCIS Fraud Detection.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raizza K. Ty and Ronald L. Walutes, Jr. in the Eastern District of Virginia. Public details, including the indictment under Case No. 1:20-cr-192, are available through the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the District Court, and PACER. The fallout from the scheme may ripple across immigration enforcement and corporate compliance fronts for months to come.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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