Last month, Apple reportedly fired about 50 employees at its Cupertino headquarters after discovering they had committed monetary fraud to secure higher compensations. Bay Area authorities have named six of the fired employees, and warrants were issued for their arrest.
While Apple did not issue a statement on the matter, none of the six charged employees — Siu Kei (Alex) Kwan, 37, of Castro Valley; Yathei (Hayson) Yuen, 34, of San Jose; Yat C (Sunny) Ng, 35, of Milpitas; Wentao (Victor) Li, 38 of Hayward; Lichao Ni, 39, of Sunnyvale; and Zheng Chang, 31, of Union City — were Indian. However, latest reports say many of the fired employees are Indian and allegedly misused Telugu charity organizations in the U.S. to carry out the scam.
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The reported fraud involved Apple’s Matching Gifts Program, a corporate social responsibility initiative designed to amplify employees’ charitable contributions by matching their donations to eligible organizations. Through this program, Apple matches employee donations dollar-for-dollar, up to a maximum of $10,000 per employee per calendar year.
In December 2024, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office said the former employees tricked the tech company into matching thousands of dollars in donations to children’s charities when they were not in fact donating a thing over a three-year period. The scheme netted approximately $152,000.
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The allegations suggest that some employees, in collaboration with specific organizations including associations reportedly linked to the Indian community, falsified donations to exploit the program.
Separately, the Telugu Association of North America (TANA) is allegedly under scrutiny with the FBI for potential misuse of corporate donation matching programs. A subpoena has been issued to TANA to provide documentation on donations and expenditures from 2019 to 2024, as part of a broader investigation.
It remains unclear whether the two issues are connected, and specific details about them might emerge over time.
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Most Why are only Chinese names listed, even though most of the criminals were reportedly Indian? Have Bay Area authorities been influenced by Indians?