EDISON — The chief executive officer and managing director of two Middlesex County companies admitted recruiting foreign nationals to enroll at a “pay-to-stay” New Jersey college in order to fraudulently maintain his clients’ student visa status and obtain full-time work authorizations without having to attend classes.
Tejesh Kodali, 45, of Edison, pleaded guilty on Dec. 1 before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court to one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, according to a statement prepared by U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.
On April 5, 22 brokers, recruiters and employers, including Kodali, were charged with enrolling foreign nationals in the University of Northern New Jersey (UNNJ), a purported for-profit college located in Cranford.
The UNNJ was created in September 2013 by Homeland Security Investigations. It was not staffed with instructors or educators, had no curriculum and conducted no actual classes or education activities, according to Fishman. UNNJ operated solely as a storefront location staffed by federal agents posing as school administrators.
According to the case, Kodali — an Indian citizen and lawful permanent resident in the United States — was the director of operations of Promatrix Corporation and Blue Cloud Techs Corporation, which were purported international student recruiting and consulting companies located in Edison.
UNNJ represented itself as a school that, among other things, was authorized to issue a document known as a “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) Student Status – for Academic and Language Students,” commonly referred to as a Form I-20.
This document, which certifies that a foreign national has been accepted to a school and would be a full-time student, typically enables legitimate foreign students to obtain an F-1 student visa, according to Fishman. With the visa, they can enter or remain in the United States while they make normal progress toward the completion of a full course of study at a Student and Exchange Visitor Program-certified institution.
Kodali told his foreign national clients that, for a fee, they could enroll at UNNJ without having to attend any classes and that their enrollment would enable them to fraudulently maintain their nonimmigrant status. With full knowledge that the recruits were not bonafide students and would not attend any courses, earn credits or make academic progress toward any legitimate degree at UNNJ, Kodali caused Forms I-20 to be issued to the foreign nationals.
Kodali also caused the foreign nationals to be reported in government databases as legitimate foreign students. In order to deceive immigration officials, Kodali and his foreign clients obtained and created fraudulent student documents, including attendance records and transcripts.
After enabling them to maintain their student visa status, Kodali also conspired to secure fraudulent work authorizations for some of their foreign clients. He admitted that his intention was to profit from the scheme by outsourcing these foreign individuals through Promatrix and Blue Cloud Techs as information technology consultants with various businesses in the United States for commissions, according to the statement.
In total, Kodali and his conspirators fraudulently maintained and attempted to obtain 37 student visas and/or work authorizations. The conspiracy to commit visa fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Sentencing for Kodali is scheduled for March 13.
