TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - A former senior level employee in the technology
operations group of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited pleaded guilty to
engaging in a scheme to defraud the company of at least $2.3 million, the
District of Massachusetts' U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.

Priya Bhambi and an alleged co-conspirator, who did not work at the company,
were charged in an indictment filed on March 23, 2023.

Between approximately January 2022 and October 2022, Bhambi and her alleged
co-conspirator orchestrated and executed a scheme to defraud Takeda of at least
$2.3 million in payments for purported consulting services by submitting
fabricated invoices on behalf of a sham consulting company, the U.S. Attorney's
Office said.

According to the Attorney's Office, the co-conspirator, in coordination with
Bhambi, allegedly incorporated Evoluzione Consulting LLC in February 2022.
Later, Bhambi created a website for Evoluzione with false information, including
fabricated blog posts, to make it appear that Evoluzione was a legitimate
consulting business.

After incorporating Evoluzione, Bhambi, allegedly in coordination with the
co-conspirator, submitted a statement of work to Takeda and caused Takeda to
sign a master services agreement with Evoluzione and issue a purchase order to
Evoluzione for consulting services with a total cost of $3.542 million. Then,
between March and May of 2022, Bhambi and the alleged co-conspirator fabricated
and submitted to Takeda five separate invoices for services that Evoluzione had
not performed, each in the amount of $460,000. Bhambi and the alleged
co-conspirator made false representations regarding the services purportedly
provided by Evoluzione. Takeda paid all five of the invoices to business
accounts allegedly opened by the alleged co-conspirator in the name of
Evoluzione.

In total, Bhambi and the alleged co-conspirator defrauded Takeda of $2.3 million
in payments to Evoluzione for services not provided. Bhambi and her alleged
co-conspirator used the fraudulently obtained funds to purchase a Mercedes-Benz
Model E; purchase a diamond engagement ring; make a down payment on a $1.875
million condominium in Boston's Seaport neighborhood; and place a deposit on a
wedding venue, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

In connection with the charges, the Court issued seizure warrants for the
Mercedes, over $1 million in fraud proceeds from accounts the defendants
controlled, $49,985 from the wedding venue deposit and issued a restraining
order to preserve the Seaport condominium for forfeiture.



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