Elangovan Punniakoti, Visa Fraud, California 2022

Executives Charged with Visa Fraud in Santa Clara County

Two high-ranking officials from Santa Clara County, Elangovan Punniakoti and Mary Christeena, appeared in federal court in San Jose, California, on [7/25/2022] to face charges of visa fraud and conspiracy to commit visa fraud. The indictment, announced by United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds, alleges that Punniakoti and Christeena submitted approximately 54 fraudulent H-1B visa applications for foreign workers sponsored by Innovate Solutions, Inc. from 2010 through May 2020.

Elangovan Punniakoti, 52, a resident of Cupertino, acted as CEO of Innovate Solutions, while Christeena, 47, a resident of Cupertino, served as the company’s president. According to the indictment, the duo repeatedly submitted false applications for H-1B visas, claiming that the foreign workers would be employed at specific end-client companies. However, the indictment alleges that these companies either never received the proposed workers or never intended to receive them.

The indictment charges Punniakoti and Christeena with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 and six counts of visa fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1546(a) and 2. If convicted, they face significant prison time and fines.

Once the applications were approved, Punniakoti and Christeena placed the H-1B workers at other employers that had actual work, not with the identified end-clients. This practice gave Innovate Solutions an unfair and illegal advantage over employment-staffing firms. During this period, the other employers paid fees of more than $2.5 million to Innovate Solutions to cover the cost of the H-1B workers’ wages and salaries as well as a profit markup for Innovate Solutions.

Punniakoti and Christeena made their initial appearances in San Jose federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Virginia K. DeMarchi. They were released and are scheduled to appear in court again on [7/25/2022] before United States District Judge Edward J. Davila.

Innovate Solutions, the company at the center of the scandal, allegedly created a pool of H-1B workers that were placed at employment positions with other employers, providing them with an unfair and illegal advantage over employment-staffing firms. The indictment alleges that the practice caused significant financial losses for the other employers, who paid fees of more than $2.5 million to Innovate Solutions.

The case is a stark reminder of the importance of upholding the integrity of the immigration system and the need for accountability in the business community. The investigation, led by the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), highlights the efforts of law enforcement agencies to combat visa fraud and protect the interests of American workers.

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