Indian-origin man arrested in US for moonlighting, faces 15 years in jail

The US authorities have arrested a 39-year-old Indian-origin man on charges of 'grand larceny' for moonlighting as a contractor while he was working for the New York State Office of Information Technology Services.

 

On October 15, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mehul Goswami on charges of second-degree grand larceny, a class C felony under New York law. He is alleged to have misappropriated more than $50,000 in public funds and could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

 

A Colonie resident, Goswami, was reportedly working with the New York State Office of Information Technology Services remotely. However, he took a second job in March 2022, as a contractor for GlobalFoundries in Malta.

 

The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office alleges that Goswami was employed by a semiconductor company while simultaneously working his scheduled hours as a New York government employee. According to a media release by the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office, Inspector General Lucy Lang said,  "Public employees are entrusted with the responsibility to serve with integrity, and Goswami's alleged conduct represents a serious breach of that trust. Working a second, full-time job while claiming to be working for the State is an abuse of public resources, including taxpayer dollars."

 

It further said that Goswami was arraigned and released on his own recognisance last week, with the case currently pending further legal proceedings.

 

His arrest reportedly followed a joint investigation conducted by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Inspector General’s Office.

 

"My office will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to hold anyone accountable who would undermine the integrity of public service in New York State,” Lang said soon after Goswami was nabbed.

 

Another Indian caught moonlighting with US firms

 

Earlier in July, an Indian techie was accused of scamming at least five US startups by working multiple jobs simultaneously. Parekh, in an interview with TBPN on YouTube, admitted to moonlighting, adding that he was "not proud of his actions".

 

The issue was first flagged by Suhail Doshi, co-founder and former CEO of Mixpanel, who accused Parekh of moonlighting, adding that he was fired due to his "dishonest behaviour".

 

At the time, Parekh said that he was a non-sleeper and did nothing besides code. He also dismissed rumours of having a team of junior engineers working with him and using artificial intelligence tools to secure more jobs. The techie also clarified that his actions were due to his dire financial situation.