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The term ‘moonlighting’ has created waves in the Indian IT sector for years, sparking fierce debates in Bengaluru’s tech hubs and drawing stern warnings from industry leaders. For many, it represented a harmless side hustle—a way to leverage skills for extra income. However, a chilling story emerging from the United States serves as a stark reminder of the risks, redrawing the line between a second job and a federal crime.
An Indian-origin man faces 15 years in a US prison for moonlighting, a charge that goes far beyond a simple breach of contract. This isn’t just about a coder taking on a freelance project after hours. This case unravels a complex web of alleged wire fraud, immigration violations, and brazen deception that has captured the attention of federal prosecutors.
How Moonlighting Became Wire Fraud in the US
According to federal reports, the software engineer was employed full-time at a major tech firm in California. Seizing the opportunity presented by the remote-work era, he allegedly accepted a second full-time, fully remote position at another US-based company without disclosing it to either employer.
For months, he reportedly juggled both roles, attending virtual meetings, submitting code, and collecting two six-figure salaries simultaneously. This practice, known as ‘overemployment,’ is where the situation escalated from an ethical issue to a potential felony.
US federal investigators allege this was a calculated act of wire fraud. The charge stems from the accusation that the Indian-origin man deliberately deceived both companies through electronic communications—including emails, instant messages, and payroll systems—to obtain salaries under false pretences. By certifying that he was dedicating his full working hours to each company, he was allegedly defrauding them both. Each paycheck received under these conditions can be considered a separate count of fraud, escalating the potential penalty to 15 years in a US prison.
H-1B Visa Violations: The Immigration Risk of Moonlighting
For many Indian professionals in the US, the story holds a particularly terrifying dimension: immigration law. The engineer was in the country on an H-1B visa, a work permit strictly tied to a single, sponsoring employer. By taking up a second full-time job without proper authorisation, he is also accused of violating the terms of his visa, a serious federal offence.
This is the critical difference separating the moonlighting debate in India from this case in the US. While in India the worst-case scenario is often termination, for an immigrant worker in America, it can mean deportation and a permanent ban from the country, on top of severe criminal penalties like a lengthy prison sentence.
A Stark Warning to the Global Tech Community
This case serves as a sobering reminder that ‘hustle culture,’ when pushed beyond legal and ethical boundaries, carries devastating risks. The Indian-origin man facing 15 years in a US prison for moonlighting highlights how the allure of a doubled income can lead to life-altering consequences. The US justice system does not view this as simple “moonlighting”; it sees it as a premeditated scheme to defraud corporations and violate federal immigration laws.
As the lines between work and home continue to blur, this incident underscores the absolute necessity of transparency with employers and a thorough understanding of local laws, whether in India or abroad. What began as a secret ambition to boost a bank balance has now become a public lesson in how quickly a dream can unravel.
