Sajju Khatiwada, previously the Assistant Treasurer at Bridgestone Americas, Inc., has been charged with wire fraud and money laundering involving approximately $15 million. The charges were announced by Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, Thomas J. Jaworski.
Khatiwada, 43, from Franklin, Tennessee, allegedly created a fake company named Paymt-Tech, LLC in July 2020 and submitted false invoices to Bridgestone for non-existent bank fees. These invoices, believed to be legitimate by Bridgestone, were paid monthly from August 2020 until April 2024.
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Bridgestone’s accounting department noticed a sharp decrease in monthly bank fees after Khatiwada’s departure in April 2024, which led to an investigation. The investigation revealed that Khatiwada had submitted 47 fraudulent invoices totaling $14,923,978.57. The FBI traced these transactions back to Khatiwada.
If convicted, Khatiwada faces up to 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud and 10 years for money laundering, along with a potential fine amounting to twice the laundered money. The case is currently under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Nashville, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Booth prosecuting. It is important to note that a federal complaint is merely an allegation, and Khatiwada is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
For more information, visit the [Department of Justice](https://www.justice.gov/) website.
Source: Read Original Release