UC Exec Pleads Guilty to H-1B Visa Fraud

0:00A University of California exec from the East Bay just pleaded guilty to visa fraud, snagging 27 H1B visas with fake job offers that you see that, never existed. Shreed Harmada, 51, and formerly the Chief Info Officer for UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, up at Davis, teamed up with his buddy Sampath, Rajadhi, also 51 from Dublin. Both entered pleas last week in Sacramento Federal Court. From mid-2020 through early 2023, they ran this scheme through Rajidi's software firms, listen UC spots, even one at the. President's office as gigs for foreign workers. Mata used his insider status to make it look legit, but those jobs were pure fiction. UC jumped on a quick, once feds tipped them off, did their own probe, and booted Mata. Spokeswoman Heather Hanson stressed it was just one rogue employee stepping outside bounds. No broader issues at the university. Folks are buzzing because H1B's already a hot mess in tech, with caps that screw over legit companies

1:01hunting talent amid all the layoffs. The fed say this cut into the limited visa pool, hurt in real businesses chasing skilled workers. Prosecutors paint the pair as shady staffing middlemen, place in those visa holders elsewhere after approval. Both face up to five years behind bars and $250,000 fines, though Rajidi's deal eyes six to 16 months, though gets sentenced July 30th in Sacramento, could shake up how we view these visas in the industry. You've been listening to California News today, AI-powered Local News.