Newark, N.J. – In a brazen scheme to maintain immigration status and secure work authorizations for foreign nationals, Tejesh Kodali, 45, of Edison, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit visa fraud.
According to U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman, Kodali, the chief executive officer and managing director of Promatrix Corp. and Blue Cloud Techs Corp., recruited foreign nationals to enroll at the University of Northern New Jersey (UNNJ), a purported for-profit college in Cranford, New Jersey. The college, created in September 2013 by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), operated as a storefront location staffed by federal agents posing as school administrators.
Kodali, an Indian citizen and lawful permanent resident in the United States, told his foreign national clients that for a fee, they could enroll at UNNJ without attending any classes and that their enrollment would enable them to fraudulently maintain their nonimmigrant status. With full knowledge that the recruits were not bona fide students, Kodali caused Forms I-20 to be issued to the foreign nationals, certifying that they had been accepted to the school and would be full-time students.
As a result of Kodali’s scheme, 22 brokers, recruiters, and employers, including himself, were charged with enrolling foreign nationals in UNNJ in April 2016. The conspiracy to commit visa fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Kodali admitted that his intention was to profit from the scheme by outsourcing the foreign individuals through Promatrix and Blue Techs as information technology consultants with various businesses in the United States for commissions. In total, Kodali and his conspirators fraudulently maintained and attempted to obtain 37 student visas and/or work authorizations.
Sentencing for Kodali is scheduled for March 13, 2017. U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, HSI Newark, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Counterterrorism and Criminal Exploitation Unit, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Fraud Detection and National Security for their work in exposing the scheme.
Defendant: Tejesh Kodali
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to commit visa fraud
City and State: Newark, N.J.
Date: April 5, 2016
Sentence: Sentencing scheduled for March 13, 2017
Related Federal Cases
- Tejesh Kodali, Visa Fraud Conspiracy, New Jersey 2024 · Pennsylvania
- Sato Satka, Bank Fraud, New Jersey 2024 · Illinois
- Vincent J. Gamuzza, Health Care Fraud, New Jersey 2023 · Pennsylvania
- Sunila Dutt, Visa Fraud and Obstruction, Virginia 2023 · Virginia
- Lissette Delarosa, Mail Fraud Conspiracy, New Jersey 2010 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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