Princetonians Involved In Visa Scam: Federal Case

NEWARK, NJ — Two Princetonians are among a group of information technology staffing company executives who were charged with visa fraud, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's office.

Vijay Mane, 39, and Fernando Silva, 53, are among the group of those charged in what prosecutors say was a scheme involving H-1B visas, which are used to allow foreigners with special skills to work in the United States.

Venkataramana Mannam, 47, of Edison, and Sateesh Vemuri, 52, were also arrested.

The release cites documents and court statements in saying that Mane, Mannam and Vemuri controlled two IT staffing companies in Middlesex County named Procure Professionals Inc. and Krypto IT Solutions Inc.

Mannam and Silva also controlled a staffing company referred to as "Client A" in the complaint, the release says.

The defendants used Procure and Krypto to recruit foreign nationals and sponsor them for H-1B visas while falsely stating they already had jobs lined up at Client A, the release says. No such positions existed.

They then used job candidates who were already admitted into the U.S., the release says, in order to skip the visa application process. This gave them an edge over competitors in the staffing industry.

If convicted, the defendants will face up to five years in prison and a $250,000.

All four were released from court on $250,000 bond.