SEATTLE (AP) — The former CEO of two Bellevue tech firms has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison for a sophisticated visa fraud scheme that cheated workers out of their wages and cheated the government out of over $1 million in taxes.
KOMO reports that 50-year-old Pradyumna Kumar Samal, a citizen of India, was sentenced on Sept. 20. Authorities say he used the illegally obtained cash to enrich himself and fund a luxurious lifestyle.
Samal was arrested in August 2018 when he arrived on an international flight at Sea-Tac Airport and has been in custody since his arrest.
According to records filed in the case, two companies incorporated by Samal engaged in a scheme to exploit foreign national workers, compete unlawfully in the market, and defraud the U.S. government.