Long-time employee is charged in Apple theft

Government has seized $5 million in money and property, seeks forfeiture

A man who worked at Apple for a decade defrauded the company out of more than $10 million by taking kickbacks, stealing equipment and diverting money, federal authorities alleged March 18.

Dhirendra Prasad, 52, is charged with five crimes related to allegedly defrauding the Cupertino technology giant, laundering the proceeds and evading taxes, prosecutors and the Internal Revenue Service said.

The San Joaquin County man worked for Apple from 2008 to 2018, mostly as a buyer in the firm's “Global Service Supply Chain,” authorities said. Responsible for purchasing parts and services from vendors, Prasad allegedly “exploited his position by engaging in multiple different schemes to defraud Apple, including taking kickbacks, stealing parts, and causing Apple to pay for items and services it never received,” federal authorities claimed in a press release.

It was unclear whether Prasad, of Mountain House near Tracy, was represented by a lawyer. Efforts to reach him March 18 by phone were unsuccessful.

A court has allowed the federal government to seize $5 million in money and property from Prasad, and the government is seeking to keep those assets as proceeds of crime, the press release said.

Two other California men who owned companies that sold to Apple conspired with Prasad to commit fraud and launder money, authorities claimed. Both men were charged in separate federal cases “and they have both admitted their involvement,” authorities said.

Prasad is scheduled to make a first court appearance in U.S. District Court in San Jose next week on Thursday. The alleged offenses of fraud, money laundering and tax evasion each carry maximum sentences of five to 20 years, but sentencing guidelines and judges' discretion mean most people convicted of fraud in federal court receive less than the maximum sentence.