New Delhi: Tech giant Apple has reportedly terminated 185 employees from its headquarters in Cupertino following allegations of monetary fraud aimed at increasing their compensation. An investigation revealed fraudulent activity within the company’s charitable Matching Grants program.
As part of the program, Apple matches every financial contribution an employee makes to a qualified charity with an equivalent donation. Moreover, another report highlights that a significant number of the terminated employees may be Indian nationals connected to Telugu charitable organizations in the US.
Meanwhile, the media reports allege that the fraud involved employees collaborating with certain non-profit organizations, including some linked to the Indian community, to falsify donations and inflate their compensation.
The employees reportedly received their original donations back from the charities, while keeping Apple’s matching contributions for themselves.
In the terminated employees list, six individuals have been named by authorities in the Bay Area. The individuals charged in the case include 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.
The Santa Clara County district attorney’s office has stated that these individuals defrauded Apple of approximately $152,000 over a three-year period by inaccurately reporting donations to two nonprofit organizations: the American Chinese International Cultural Exchange (ACICE) and Hop4Kids. It is important to note that Apple has not released an official statement, and the district attorney’s office is still conducting its investigation.