BUSTED! University official pleads guilty in H1-B visa fraud scheme

Two California men have pleaded guilty in a federal H1-B visa fraud case after prosecutors said they used fake job claims tied to the University of California to secure visas for foreign workers.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, Dublin residents Sampath Rajidi, 51, and Sreedhar Mada, 51, admitted guilt to conspiracy to commit visa fraud in a scheme that relied on false claims about employment at a major public university.

Prosecutors say the scheme ran from June 2020 through January 2023. During that time, the men submitted H1-B petitions falsely claiming multiple applicants would work in positions at the University of California, jobs federal officials say did not exist.

Rajidi, who operated two visa-related companies, S-Team Software Inc. and Uptrend Technologies LLC, worked with Mada, a chief information officer at University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, to give the applications credibility.

Authorities say Mada’s position was used to make the petitions appear legitimate, after which the visa beneficiaries were placed with outside clients once approvals were granted.

The Justice Department said the false statements were material to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services decisions, meaning the visas would not have been approved without the misrepresentations.

Federal prosecutors also noted the scheme gave the defendants an advantage over legitimate employers competing for a limited number of H-1B visas, adding to concerns about abuse of the system.

Both men are scheduled to be sentenced July 30, 2026. Each faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, though final sentencing will be determined by the court.