Date: April 25, 2025
Contact: [email protected]
CONCORD 〞 A Windham man was sentenced today in federal court in connection with his ownership of an international technology (IT) company that contracted with the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley (United Way) while being employed by United Way, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.
Imran Alrai was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph N. Laplante to 36 months in federal prison and 1 year of supervised release. Alrai was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2.3 million. In October 2024, Alrai was convicted by a federal jury of 12 counts of wire fraud and 6 counts of money laundering.
※For six years, the defendant carried out a calculated and sophisticated scheme to steal millions from a non-profit dedicated to uplifting our most vulnerable communities,§ said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack. ※He exploited the organization＊s trust, fabricating companies, employees, and invoices每 all to line his own pockets at the expense of those the non-profit was meant to serve.§
※The usual reward of nonprofit work is personal fulfillment, not financial enrichment,§ said James Crowley, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI＊s Boston Division. ※Imran Alrai, however, treated the United Way of Massachusetts and Merrimack Valley like his very own ATM, stealing millions of dollars and shortchanging their efforts and the community in the process. To anyone else engaged in a scheme like this, know that the FBI will work to shut you down and ensure you are held accountable for your actions.§
※Alrai＊s ploy to enrich himself with millions of dollars stolen from an organization focused on improving the lives of those in need ended today. He used his technical expertise to craft an elaborate fraud scheme that went undetected for years, allowing him to siphon millions to fulfill his own greed,§ said Homeland Security Investigations New England Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol. ※After today＊s sentence, he＊s finally facing the consequences of his crimes〞 a long term in federal prison.§
Between 2012 and June 2018, Alrai, an IT professional at the United Way, obtained approximately $6.7 million in payments for IT services supposedly provided to United Way by an independent outside contractor, DigitalNet Technology Solutions, Inc. Alrai misrepresented material facts about DigitalNet and fraudulently concealed that he owned and controlled DigitalNet. Through DigitalNet, Alrai overcharged United Way for the services he provided. In early 2013, Alrai rigged the bidding process for a major contract to provide managed IT services at the United Way so that DigitalNet was chosen. Alrai then gave fake references and false information about DigitalNet to United Way.
For the next five years, while serving as United Way＊s Vice President for IT Services, Alrai steered additional IT work to DigitalNet, so that his company soon became United Way＊s second largest outside vendor, receiving more than $1 million annually. Alrai concealed his connection with DigitalNet from his colleagues. He routinely sent emails with attached invoices from a fictitious person to himself at United Way.
After the fraud came to light, in June 2018, officials at the United Way confronted Alrai and terminated him. Federal agents executed search and seizure warrants and seized incriminating documents and data from Alrai＊s home office in Windham, as well as approximately $2.2 million in fraud proceeds in bank and investment accounts.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation. The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) provided valuable assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles L. Rombeau and John J. Kennedy prosecuted the case.
IRS-CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a 90% federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 14 attach谷 posts abroad.