Indian-Origin CEO Of US Tech Firm Pleads Guilty To Bribery

Washington: A former Indian-American CEO of an IT company based in the US city of Detroit pleaded guilty for orchestrating a bribery scheme. 

Parimal D. Mehta, 54, a former CEO of FutureNet Group Inc, made multiple cash payments worth more than USD 6,500 to Charles Dodd, the former Director of Detroit's Office of Departmental Technology Services between 2009 and 2016. These payments include two cash bribes hand-delivered by Mr Mehta to Mr Dodd in the restrooms of Detroit-area restaurants in 2016 in return of preferential treatment for his company.

Mr Mehta pleaded guilty to one count of federal program bribery before U.S. District Judge Robert H. Cleland of the Eastern District of Michigan. He is now expected to be sentenced on September 27.

Mr Mehta is also alleged to have employed Dodd's family members at FutureNet and its subsidiaries. Mr Dodd pleaded guilty to bribery on 27 September, 2016. The previous indictment in the case indicated that Mr Mehta and FutureNet benefited from Mr Dodd's influence over the implementation of particular technological projects, the hiring and selection of contract personnel.

Furthermore, Parimal D Mehta obtained confidential information about Detroit's internal budgets for specific technology projects, which would benefit FutureNet in its dealings with Detroit.

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(With inputs from PTI)