U.S. prosecutors have charged a former Apple employee in the Cupertino firm’s supply chain that was responsible for making purchases and invoicing them back to Apple, for defrauding the iPhone maker out of more than $10 million, says a Reuters report
Court filings in San Jose, California seen by Reuters show that Dhirendra Prasad, a former employee in Apple’s supply chain, is facing five criminal counts of making Apple pay for items and services the company never actually received.
Prosecutors said that as an Apple buyer, Prasad negotiated with vendors and placed orders, with Apple making payments based on invoice amounts he entered into its purchasing system. Prasad is said to have defrauded Apple by taking kickbacks, stealing parts using false repair orders, and causing Apple to pay for items and services it never received.
Prosecutors said Prasad also evaded taxes by laundering the proceeds from his schemes.
Apple fired Prasad in December 2018. He had worked with the company for over ten years. Prasad is also accused of evading taxes and is facing charges of wire and mail fraud and money laundering. His hearing is set for March 24.
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