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Indian man pleads guilty to duping insurance firms, phone providers in US
The sentencing of Sandeep Bengera, 36, is scheduled for Oct.10.
Representative Image. / Pixabay
An Indian national has admitted to participating in a scheme to defraud multiple telephone providers and insurance companies of millions of dollars. The individual, identified as 36-year-old Sandeep Bengera, used stolen or fake identities to file fraudulent claims for replacement cellular devices and subsequently resold these devices outside the United States.
Bengera, residing in Newark, pleaded guilty on June.5 before US District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court to a two-count indictment. The charges included one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transfer of stolen property, the US Department of Justice said in a release.
According to court documents, between June 2013 and June 2019, Bengera participated in a wide-ranging scheme aimed at defrauding cellular telephone providers and insurance companies by utilizing the US mail system and other third-party mail carriers. Working with his co-conspirators, Bengera employed stolen and fabricated identities to file fraudulent claims alleging lost, stolen, or damaged cellular telephones and other devices, with the aim of securing replacement devices.
To facilitate their scheme, Bengera and his associates established a network of mailboxes and storage units across the United States, including locations in New Jersey, where the replacement devices would be delivered and stored before being sold to third parties situated outside the United States. Bengera acknowledged that the combined value of the replacement devices exceeded $9 million.
The offense of conspiracy to commit mail fraud is punishable by a maximum prison term of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000, or double the gain or loss resulting from the offense. Similarly, the offense of conspiracy to commit interstate transfer of stolen goods carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000, or double the gain or loss resulting from the offense.
His sentencing is scheduled for Oct.10.
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