Four indicted in alleged $2.5 million delivery company fraud scheme

SAN JOSE, California — A federal grand jury has indicted four individuals accused of orchestrating a scheme to defraud a San Francisco-based delivery company of over $2.5 million. The defendants were arrested on October 4, 2024, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Sayee Chaitanya Reddy Devagiri, a 30-year-old from Newport Beach, California, and Manaswi Mandadapu, a 29-year-old also from Newport Beach, were arrested and made their initial court appearances in Santa Ana before being released on bond. Matheus Duarte, a 29-year-old from Mountain House, California, was arrested and appeared in San Jose, also released on bond. Hari Vamsi Anne, a 30-year-old from Cypress, Texas, was arrested and detained following his initial appearance in Houston.

Each defendant faces a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The indictment, filed on August 7, 2024, and unsealed on October 4, 2024, alleges that from November 2020 to February 2021, the defendants conspired to manipulate the delivery company's systems to pay for deliveries that never occurred. The defendants allegedly created fake customer and driver accounts on the company's platform, using insider access to assign orders to fraudulent driver accounts and manipulate the system to issue payments for undelivered orders.

The indictment further alleges that the defendants accessed the company's computer systems using credentials from an employee identified as "Individual One," later revealed to be Tyler Thomas Bottenhorn from Solano County, California. Bottenhorn, who was briefly employed by the company in 2020, was not charged in the October 4 indictment but was separately indicted for conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a case filed on September 29, 2022, and unsealed on October 7, 2024. He pleaded guilty on November 7, 2023, admitting his involvement in the scheme.

If convicted, each defendant could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, along with potential restitution. Sentencing would be determined by the court, considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and federal statutes.

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael G. Pitman and Jeffrey D. Nedrow, with assistance from Sahib Kaur, following an FBI investigation.