They were among 22 people indicted last spring in a federal sting to catch visa fraud
NEWARK -- Two consultants pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges that they used a fake New Jersey college in a "pay-to-stay" scheme to maintain their clients' student visa status and get them full-time work authorizations.
Harpreet Sachdeva, of Somerset, and Sanjeev Sukhija, of North Brunswick, each admitted to one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud in the scheme that enrolled foreigners in the fake University of Northern New Jersey.
Sachdeva, 26, and Sukhija, 35, were among 22 people who authorities in April charged with recruiting foreign nationals to the purported for-profit college in Cranford.
Federal officials actually had created the school as a sting operation to catch visa fraud.
U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said Tuesday that Sachdeva and Sukhija were Indian citizens present in the United States on foreign worker visas. They were working at Somerset-based Right OPT, a purported international student consulting company, Fishman said.
Sachdeva was its business development, marketing and operations manager, while Sukhija was in charge of business development, Fishman said.
Sachdeva and Sukhija told foreign students if they paid a fee, they could enroll at UNNJ without having to go to any classes and would be able to fraudulently keep their non-immigrant status, Fishman said.
Sachdeva, the foreign clients and others obtained and created fake student documents, Fishman said. Through this scheme, Sachdeva and Sukhija falsely got the phony student visas and reported them in government databases as legitimate foreign students, Fishman said.
The duo also conspired to get fraudulent work authorizations for some of their clients, creating a total of about 45 fake student visas and work permits, Fishman said.
Both admitted they were trying to profit by outsourcing the foreigners as information technology consultants to U.S. companies for commissions, according to Fishman.
At an April press conference announcing the charges, Fishman said once federal agents created the fake college, requests for student visas began flowing in.
Recruiters "descended on the school, clamoring to enroll their foreign student clients," he said.
Conspiracy to commit visa fraud carries a maximum five-year sentence and $250,000 fine.
Sachdeva is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 12. Sukhija's sentencing is slated for Jan. 10.
Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati. Find NJ.com on Facebook.