An Indian national on Wednesday pleaded guilty in a New Jersey court to charges of defrauding various mobile phone providers and insurance companies of millions of dollars by using fake identities.
He defrauded mobile phone providers and insurance companies by using the US mail system and other third-party mail carriers, submitting false claims of lost, stolen and damaged devices and asking for their replacement. He then resold the devices outside the US, a media release on the case said.
Sandeep Bengera, 36, pleaded guilty before US District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court to a two-count indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transfer of stolen property, US Attorney Philip R Sellinger said.
According to the release, he admitted that the total value of the replacement devices was more than USD 9 million.
The charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a USD 250,000 fine, or twice the gain or loss from the offence.
The charge of conspiracy to commit interstate transfer of stolen goods carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a USD 250,000 fine, or twice the gain or loss from the offence.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 10, 2024, the release said.
According to court documents from June 2013 through June 2019, Bengera was involved in a widespread scheme to defraud cellular phone providers and insurance companies. With other conspirators, he used stolen and fake identities to submit the false claims of cellular phones and other devices to obtain replacement devices, the release said.
Bengera and his conspirators maintained a network of mailboxes and storage units across the United States, including in New Jersey, where the replacement
devices would be shipped and then held before being sold to third parties outside the US, it said.
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