An ex-Apple employee faces as long as 20 years in jail after admitting to defrauding the tech giant of over $17 million

•     A former Apple employee has admitted to defrauding the company out of $17 million.

•     The ex-worker, Dhirendra Prasad, admitted to running multiple fraud schemes.

•     In one of the schemes, Prasad and a co-conspirator arranged to have Apple pay for its own components.

An ex-Apple employee has admitted to defrauding his former employer out of $17 million, the Justice Department said this week.

The man, Dhirendra Prasad, pleaded guilty in a federal court to conspiracy to commit fraud over multiple schemes targeted at the tech giant, according to a press release from United States Attorney's Office in the Northern District of California.

Prasad pleaded guilty to "one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud," the Attorney's Office said, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail.

Prasad orchestrated the schemes over the course of his 10 years working for the company from 2008 to 2018. His two co-conspirators — Robert Hansen and Don Baker — who both owned vendor companies which worked with Apple, also admitted to their involvement in the schemes, per the press release.

Prasad told the courts he began defrauding Apple in 2011, three years into his employment, by taking kickbacks, stealing parts, altering invoices, and allowing the company to pay for items it never received. He admitted that these actions cost Apple more than $17 million, according to the release.

In one of the schemes, Prasad and Baker arranged to have Apple pay for its own property.

In 2016, Prasad shipped Apple components to one of Baker's businesses, the statement said. Baker then repackaged and sent the components back to Apple with a billing invoice.

Representatives for Apple did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Prasad also admitted he engaged in tax fraud by funneling illicit payments and issuing sham invoices which cost the company $1.8 million, according to the release.

Prasad will be sentenced in March 2023, the statement said.

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