Montgomery County Man, N.J. Woman Sentenced for Conspiracy to Commit Visa Fraud, Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice, Respectively

Press Release

Defendants Were Charged as Part of Alleged Savani Group Racketeering Conspiracy

PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that two defendants charged for their roles in the alleged Savani Group racketeering conspiracy have been sentenced by United States District Court Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl.

Vivek Savani, 37, of North Wales, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 10 days' imprisonment, three years of supervised release, the first 60 days of which are served in home detention, a $1,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment for conspiracy to commit visa fraud. He pleaded guilty to that offense in July, admitting involvement in a scheme to unlawfully obtain H1-B nonimmigrant work visas, which allow an employer to temporarily employ a foreign worker in the United States on a non-immigrant basis in a "specialty occupation."

Susan Malpartida, 29, of Passaic, New Jersey, was sentenced on Friday to one year of probation, a $500 fine, and a $100 special assessment for conspiracy to obstruct justice. In May, Malpartida pleaded guilty to lying to a federal grand jury in an effort to thwart a government investigation into serious visa fraud crimes allegedly committed at her employer, American Unity Dental.

Vivek Savani and Malpartida were among 12 defendants charged in a sweeping 42-count indictment unsealed in January 2023, which alleged that, for more than a decade, brothers Bhaskar Savani, Arun Savani, and Niranjan Savani, and others operated a criminal enterprise through a multi-state network of dental practices and related dental businesses. (Note: Vivek Savani is not related to the Savani brothers.) The case is scheduled to go to trial in April 2025.

This case was investigated by the FBI; the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General; IRS Criminal Investigation; Homeland Security Investigations; the Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service; the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations; the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General; the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office; and the State of Iowa Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lesley Bonney, Kevin Jayne, and Anthony Scicchitano, and Department of Justice Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section Attorney Darrin McCollough, Senior Policy Advisor. The asset seizure and forfeiture is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah Grieb and Andrew Jenemann.

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Updated November 22, 2024