ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A Virginia man whose multiple fraud schemes unraveled in part after he used a Hollywood actress’ photo on a fake passport has pleaded guilty to identity theft and fraud charges.
Forty-four-year-old Amit Chaudhry of Ashburn pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Alexandria to charges he helped bilk more than 1,000 victims out of more than $25 million through a variety of schemes over the past five years.
Passport fraud, phony travel websites and bogus billing schemes were among the various frauds.
In creating fake IDs, Chaudhry and co-conspirators scoured the internet for mugshots that looked like ID photos. Officials said one fake passport used a photo of actress Laura Vandervoort, who played Supergirl on the show “Smallville.” Investigators recognized her, which helped expose the scheme.
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