Apple has again been the victim of a vast scam by one of its former employees. For 10 years, Dhirendra Prasad took bribes, artificially inflated the prices of his bills and made one of his accomplices buy equipment from Apple, raising a total of 17 million euros . After pleading guilty in court, he now faces up to 20 years in prison.
Given its global success, it is not uncommon for Apple to deal with scammers of all kinds. Their tricks sometimes taking years to be discovered, the spoils often appear in millions of euros, whether it is fake iPhones or stolen gift cards. But sometimes the scams come from the very employees who work for the apple brand. And again, these can pay off very big.
Dhirendra Prasad, a 52-year-old American, worked in Apple’s procurement department from 2008 to 2018, where his role is to purchase various components and services on behalf of the firm. It was not until 2011 that his plan got under way. From this year, the employee begins to accept bribes from his suppliers and to artificially inflate the prices present on the invoices.
He steals 17 million euros from Apple in 10 years
Gradually, the scheme becomes more complex, but no less prolific. He joins forces with two other con artists, Robert Gary Hansen and Don M. Baker. Then begins a new well-crafted tax evasion. Dhirendra Prasad transfers certain illegal payments from Robert Gary Hansen to his own creditors through a front company, which allows Hansen to take advantage of tax deductions equal to several hundred thousand dollars.
Related — Apple Scammers Get 13 Years in Prison for Stealing $1.4 Million in Gift Cards
In total, the amount of the invoice for Apple is particularly salty: 17 million dollars. A certain amount of which the Cupertino company will soon review the color, at least in part. Dhirendra Prasad, Robert Gary Hansen and Don M. Baker all pleaded guilty in San Jose court on Tuesday, November 1. Prasad now faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. He has already agreed to pay $5 million in damages.
Source : CNET
