Sairam Yeruva, Visa Fraud, North Carolina 2019
RALEIGH
Sairam Yeruva, 45, a resident of Cary, North Carolina, and a naturalized United States citizen from India, was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day imprisonment, along with 1 year supervised release and a $50,000 fine for conspiracy to commit visa fraud.
On January 7, 2019, Yeruva pled guilty to conspiracy to commit visa fraud as charged in a Criminal Information. As part of the plea, Yeruva agreed to forfeit $2,600,000 of the criminal proceeds to the U.S. government.
The Criminal Information alleges that Yeruva, and others, conspired to submit false and misleading information to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services in support of at least one hundred eighty-three (183) initial H-1B petitions and at least one-hundred (100) H-1B extension petitions that were filed on behalf of Kronsys, Inc., Cygtec, Inc., and Arkstek, Inc. During the course of the conspiracy, Yeruva served as the corporate president of each of these three companies.
Yeruva faces maximum penalties of five years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a term of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
The H-1B program is intended to assist employers who cannot otherwise obtain needed business skills and abilities from the United States workforce. The H-1B program authorizes these employers to temporarily employ foreign workers as nonimmigrants in specialty occupations. Speculative employment is not permitted under the H-1B program, as the program is not intended as a vehicle for foreign workers to engage in a job search, or for employers to bring in foreign workers to meet possible workforce needs.
Yeruva's sentencing is a major victory in the fight against visa fraud, which subverts the legitimate immigration process and denies qualified and capable United States citizens and those legally in the United States from obtaining positions requiring specialized skills.
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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