Ismail J. Ramsey, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California
Kishore Dattapuram, co-owner of a San Jose-based technology staffing firm, has been sentenced to 14 months in federal prison for his involvement in a visa fraud scheme. The sentence was delivered by U.S. District Judge Edward J. Davila.
Dattapuram, aged 55, operated the staffing firm Nanosemantics, Inc. His firm provided skilled employees to technology companies, earning commissions for placements. He faced charges alongside two co-defendants on one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and ten counts of substantive visa fraud. Dattapuram pleaded guilty to all counts in November 2024.
Nanosemantics regularly submitted H-1B petitions meant to authorize foreign workers to live and work in the United States temporarily. The fraud involved submitting false H-1B applications, claiming foreign workers had jobs waiting at client companies when no such jobs existed. On some occasions, Dattapuram paid companies to be listed as end-clients, knowing the workers would not be employed there.
The scheme gave Nanosemantics an advantage by allowing visas to be secured for workers before actual jobs were found, enabling immediate placement once jobs arose, bypassing the normal visa process.
This announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Tatum King. Alongside the prison term, Dattapuram has been ordered to serve three years of supervised release, forfeit $125,456.48, pay a fine of $7,500, and a $1,100 special assessment fee.
The case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Griswold and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Johnny James, with team members Lynette Dixon and Nina Burney. Homeland Security Investigations, with help from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, spearheaded the investigation.
