A former Takeda Pharmaceuticals employee, Priya Bhambi, was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for orchestrating a sophisticated financial fraud scheme that defrauded the organization out of $2.3 million.
Bhambi, who worked in Takeda's technical operations group from 2017 until her firing in November 2022, used two fake consulting firms, including Evoluzione Consulting LLC, to repeatedly invoice Takeda for services that were never performed.
With the help of co-conspirator Samuel Montronde, Bhambi created fabricated invoices and a fraudulent website, making the fake consulting firm appear legitimate to auditors and staff.
Between March and May 2022, she submitted five false invoices worth $460,000 each, and when questioned, she gave false representations about the nature of the alleged work.
The fraud enabled her to purchase luxury items such as a diamond engagement ring, a Mercedes-Benz Model E, a $1.87 million condo in Boston's Seaport, and to make sizeable deposits on a wedding venue.
Takeda discovered the scheme during an internal investigation, and Bhambi was terminated in November 2022.
Upon arrest in January 2023, authorities seized more than $1 million from fraudulent proceeds, the luxury car, wedding venue payments, and worked to secure the condo.
Bhambi pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud. She was sentenced to 46 months in prison, a two-year supervised release, and ordered to pay $2.6 million in restitution and forfeit all assets gained in the scam.
Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/former-takeda-employee-sentenced-nearly-four-years-prison-25-million-embezzlement-scheme
Commentary
In the above matter, two employees conspired to commit the crime. When two people conspire to commit a crime, the presence of mutual agreement and trust allows them to share information, hide evidence, and reinforce each other's narratives, which makes their deception more coherent and credible to outsiders.
Conspirators can divide responsibilities, coordinate stories, and create false documentation more effectively than a single individual, drastically reducing the chances of detection because of the collaboration and support system between them.
Unlike solo offenders whose actions may appear suspicious or inconsistent, well-coordinated conspirators are able to cover for each other's weaknesses and avoid mistakes that might attract attention.
Detecting crimes committed by two people is also more challenging for investigators because communication and planning can be concealed through coded messages, encrypted technology, or only discussed privately, making it harder to gather direct evidence.
Investigators must navigate complex webs of relationships and distinguish legitimate interactions from collusive activities, often without the benefit of whistleblowers or informants who could break the secretive agreement.
Additionally, when questioned, two people can reinforce each other's alibis by corroborating stories, delivering consistent explanations, or manipulating their testimony to appear legitimate, all of which complicate the investigative process.
The Takeda Pharmaceuticals case illustrates how two conspirators were able to create fake firms, submit fabricated invoices, and continually support each other's deception, enabling them to bypass internal controls and delay detection.
The existence of a criminal partnership not only made it easier to undertake the embezzlement scheme but also to complicate efforts by auditors and law enforcement to distinguish fraud from legitimate vendor activity.
