New Delhi: An Indian-American couple has been charged with fraud for cheating the city of New York of $ 460 million.
US attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara said that Reddy and Padma Allen have been indicted in absentia in a federal court for what prosecutors describe as a massive and elaborate scheme to steal taxpayer dollars.
"The CityTime project was corrupted to its core by one of the largest and most brazen frauds ever committed against the City of New York," said Bharara.
US officials suspect the couple has fled to India. The US is yet to contact the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for help in tracking them. The Karnataka police also say that they have no clue about their whereabouts.
"Its our belief that the Allens have fled to India," added Bharara.
The investigation team involved in the case said that it has been difficult to find the money involved in this criminal scheme as they had to go from contractor to sub contractor etc.
Rose Gill Hearn, Commissioner for the New York City Department of Investigation, said, "Following the money in this charged criminal scheme was like tracking a ricocheting pinball from contractor to sub contractor to shell companies and foreign bank accounts."
The US can use the mutual legal assistance treaty with India to help track down the couple if needed.
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