USCIS Fraud Detection Leads to Two Guilty Pleas in H-1B Conspiracy Case
Published Apr 23, 2026
USCIS fraud detection efforts led to guilty pleas by Sampath Rajidi and Sreedhar Mada on charges of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Between June 2020 and January 2023, the two submitted fraudulent H-1B petitions falsely claiming foreign workers would be employed at the University of California.
Key points
- Rajidi operated two visa servicing companies, S-Team Software Inc. and Uptrend Technologies LLC.
- Mada served as chief information officer at University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources in Davis.
- The two falsely claimed on H-1B petitions that foreign workers would hold nonexistent positions at the University of California.
- After obtaining the visas, they marketed the workers to other client companies, gaining an unfair business advantage and reducing the H-1B pool available to competitors.
- The case was investigated by the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and USCIS's Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate.
- Sentencing is scheduled for July 30, with each defendant facing a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Who is affected
Employers filing H-1B petitions, visa staffing companies, and foreign workers placed through third-party arrangements.
What to do
USCIS encourages anyone with information about suspected immigration benefit fraud to report it using the USCIS Tip Form.
Full text
The complete official text was archived on this site on 2026-10-13. It stays available here even if the source link changes or is removed.
Release Date
04/23/2026
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ fraud detection efforts resulted in the guilty pleas of Sampath Rajidi, 51, and Sreedhar Mada, 51, to conspiracy to commit visa fraud, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced last week.
According to court documents, Rajidi operated two visa servicing companies, S-Team Software Inc. and Uptrend Technologies LLC. As part of the business models of S-Team and Uptrend, Rajidi petitioned for H1-B specialty occupation worker visas to obtain foreign workers for temporary placement with various companies. Mada was chief information officer of University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources in Davis, California. Mada had supervisory authority but could not hire H1-B workers for his department without further authorization.
Between June 2020 and January 2023, Rajidi and Mada conspired to submit fraudulent H-1B visa petitions for numerous aliens. On those petitions, Rajidi falsely represented that these aliens would be working at the University of California. Mada lent his name and the credibility of his position to support the false assertion that they would work on projects for the University of California.
In reality, both Rajidi and Mada knew that the positions listed on the petitions did not exist and the aliens did not work on projects at the University of California. They submitted false information, knowing it would influence USCIS’ decision about granting these visas. After they successfully got H1-B visas for these aliens based on false employment information, they marketed these aliens as employees to other clients. As a result of their conspiracy, Rajidi and Mada gained an unfair advantage over other firms and reduced the pool of H-1B visas available to competing firms.
The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and the USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate are investigating this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Harman is prosecuting it.
Rajidi and Mada are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley on July 30. Both face a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after considering any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
To report suspected immigration benefit fraud or abuse to USCIS, please use the USCIS Tip Form.
For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn.
04/23/2026
Original title: USCIS Efforts Lead to Two Guilty Pleas in H-1B Fraud Conspiracy Case
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