Two individuals, Sampath Rajidi and Sreedhar Mada, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit visa fraud following an investigation by USCIS and other federal agencies. Rajidi, who ran two visa consulting companies, worked with Mada, a senior official at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, to submit fraudulent H-1B visa petitions between 2020 and 2023. They falsely claimed that foreign workers would be employed on university projects, using Mada’s position to give credibility to the petitions. In reality, the jobs did not exist, and the workers were instead placed with other companies after the visas were approved. This scheme allowed Rajidi and Mada to gain an unfair advantage over competitors while improperly taking H-1B visa slots. Both men now face up to five years in prison and significant fines, with sentencing scheduled for July 30.