Indian-origin former Optum director sentenced to 3 years in prison over $950,000 fraud scheme

Karan Gupta former Optum director jailed to 3 years in prison over $950,000 fraud scheme/Image: Getty Images An Indian-origin former director at healthcare company Optum has been sentenced to three years in prison for his role in a scheme that defrauded the company of more than $950,000.Karan Gupta, 48, based in California, was sentenced on August 24 after being convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 10 counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering,according to the US Attorney's Office for Minnesota.Gupta, who served as a senior director at Optum, was found guilty by a federal jury on February 17 following a six-day trial.According to court documents, Gupta arranged a no-show job for his longtime friend, Shangraf Kaul, 45, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.Gupta hired Kaul as a data engineering manager on his team in late 2015, despite Kaul allegedly lacking the qualifications for the position. Prosecutors said Kaul performed no work at Optum for more than three years while receiving a six-figure salary.Gupta allegedly demanded that Kaul return about 60% of his salary as kickbacks. The payments were initially made through cash deposits into Gupta's bank acco...