A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia has handed down a 16-count indictment against a former Department of Homeland Security official in a scheme to defraud the US government.
Indian American Charles K Edwards, 59, of Sandy Springs, MD is accused of theft of government property, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Also named in the indictment is Murali Yamazula Venkata, 54, of Aldie, Virginia who also faces the additional charges of destruction of government records.
The feds accuse the pair of executing a scheme to defraud the U.S. government by stealing confidential and proprietary software from DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), along with sensitive government databases containing personal identifying information (PII) of DHS and postal employees. The allegations allege Edward’s company, Delta Business Solutions, could later sell a more advanced version of the software to the U.S. Department of Agriculture at a profit. Edwards left the Department of Homeland Security in December 2013, but is suspected of using his relationship with Venkata and other employees to steal the software and the sensitive government databases.
Edwards served as the Acting Inspector General while with the Department of Homeland Security.
AsAmNews has Asian America in its heart. We’re an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. Check out our new Instagram account. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. Please consider interning, joining our staff, or submitting a story.