Jana Kanyadan, the former Global Chief Information Officer of Mohawk Industries, Inc., has been sentenced to over seven years in federal prison for defrauding his employer. Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. stated, "Kanyadan held a position of authority as a C-suite executive at Mohawk and abused his fiduciary duty by stealing from the company that trusted him." He added that the sentence reflects the seriousness of Kanyadan's criminal conduct.
FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown remarked, "The defendant stole money that should have gone to his employer," emphasizing their commitment to investigating and holding accountable those who attempt to defraud their employers.
Court documents revealed that Kanyadan was responsible for IT services and decisions at Mohawk. In 2019, he orchestrated an arrangement with Meta Technology Platforms, LLC ("Meta Tech"), a Georgia company he secretly controlled. Using his position at Mohawk, Kanyadan diverted outsourced IT consulting work to Meta Tech without disclosing his connection.
Between May 7 and October 2, 2022, Meta Tech submitted invoices totaling approximately $3 million to Mohawk for unperformed services and unprovided software. The invoices also included inflated hourly rates approved by Kanyadan on behalf of Mohawk. As a result of these fraudulent invoices, Mohawk paid Meta Tech about $1.86 million in total, with around $820,577 arising from fraud.
Kanyadan was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $250,000 fine and restitution amounting to $985,166.66 after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and seven counts of wire fraud on November 1, 2024.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation into this case while Assistant U.S. Attorney Samir Kaushal along with former Assistant U.S. Attorney Tal C. Chaiken prosecuted it.
For more information contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office via email at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or call (404) 581-6280.