CAMDEN, N.J. – An Indian national was indicted for immigration documents fraud and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Rohit Kumar, 30, of West Bengal, India, is charged with six counts of submitting false and fraudulent immigration documents and six counts of committing aggravated identity theft.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Kumar worked for several years in India for one of the largest information technology companies in the world. This IT company contracted with an electric utility company that was based in New Jersey and owned and operated nuclear power facilities at multiple locations, including in southern New Jersey. Under the contract, the IT company supplied services to the New Jersey company, including through the use of foreign national workers from India who worked in specialized occupations.
Kumar helped to arrange for Indian national workers to enter the United States under the H-1B visa program and then work at the New Jersey company. Some of these Indian national workers were stationed at a nuclear power plant in southern New Jersey, while other foreign workers were stationed at the company’s other locations in and around New Jersey.
On several occasions in 2017 and 2018, Kumar created and presented false and fraudulent documents to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service in support of the H-1B visa applications of the Indian national workers. The documents purported to contain the authorized signature of a contracting manager at the New Jersey electric utility company, but the contracting manager never signed or authorized a signature on these documents.
Each count of immigration documents fraud is punishable by a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, as well as a maximum fine of $250,000. Each count of aggravated identity theft is punishable by sentence of two years in prison, which must be served consecutively to any other term imposed, as well as a maximum fine of $250,000.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara Aliabadi and Jason M. Richardson in Camden.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.