VIJAYAWADA/BENGALURU: Apple is said to have fired some Indian-origin employees for allegedly misusing the company’s matching grants scheme.
Under the programme, for every financial contribution an employee makes to a qualified charity, Apple provides an equivalent amount as a matching donation.
Some employees based in the US, working in conjunction with specific charitable organisations, including several connected to the Indian community, allegedly created donation records and arranged for the funds to be returned to themselves.
While some media outlets reported that 185 employees were affected, TOI was unable to confirm the figure. Apple had not responded to TOI’s email enquiries at the time of going to press.
The Telugu Association of North America (TANA) is among those said to be under scrutiny by FBI for misuse of matching grants from various corporations. The US district court has reportedly issued a subpoena to TANA for grand jury testimony. The summons, issued on Dec 12 for a Dec 26 appearance, remained unconfirmed by TANA. Sources indicated that the association received a one-month extension.
The court order demands documentation of received donations, expenditures and information about all TANA representatives across various positions from 2019 to 2024. Additionally, it requires records of board meetings, subcommittee sessions, including meeting minutes, agendas, materials, reports, presentations, resolutions and received documents.
The directive mandated submission of TANA’s written policies concerning accounting practices, auditing procedures, internal financial controls, and periodic financial reporting. Documentation was requested for all donations received between 2019 and 2024, encompassing direct contributions and matching programme funds.
The grand jury also demanded comprehensive records of all TANA disbursements, specifying recipient details, payment rationale, and the associated bank accounts.
Whilst specific investigation details were absent from the subpoena, sources told TOI that this inquiry forms part of a joint FBI-IRS-DOJ (Federal Bureau of Investigation-Internal Revenue Service-Department of Justice) probe examining potential misappropriation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) matching grants.
TOI reached out to TANA president Niranjan Srungavarapu and general secretary and executive VP Naren Kodali via text messages, but they hadn’t responded to the queries at the time of going to press.
