Indian-American officials, multiple US agencies involved in probe against Gautam Adani, others; Check key names here

In the first case, a five-count criminal indictment was unsealed in federal court charging Gautam Adani, Sagar R. Adani, and Vneet S. Jaain, with conspiracies to commit securities and wire fraud and substantive securities fraud for their roles in a multi-billion-dollar scheme to obtain funds from U.S. investors and global financial institutions on the basis of false and misleading statements.

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and others are facing two parallel criminal cases in the United States in connection with an alleged bribery scam.  The case has not only hogged the limelight of the media but also made a massive impact on stocks of Adani Group which witnessed a sharp decline on November 21.

In the first case, a five-count criminal indictment was unsealed in federal court charging Gautam Adani, Sagar R. Adani, and Vneet S. Jaain, with conspiracies to commit securities and wire fraud and substantive securities fraud for their roles in a multi-billion-dollar scheme to obtain funds from U.S. investors and global financial institutions on the basis of false and misleading statements.

While in the second case, a civil complaint has been filed against the Indian billionaire by the Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) on November 20 which seeks permanent injunctions, civil penalties, and restriction on officers and directors.

Here are the individuals, including Indian-Americans, involved in the investigation into Gautam Adani cases-

FBI PROBE TEAM-

The first name is James E Dennehy. Dennehy is an assistant director in charge, FBI’s New York Field Office. Dennehy announced criminal charges against Gautam Adani. He took charge of his service on September 13, 2024. Earlier, he had served marines for seven years. He had joined the FBI as a special agent in 2002.

Attorney’s Office for New York’s Eastern District

Breon Peace, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, also mentioned Adani’s name in the alleged bribery case. The 53-year-old officer assumed office in 2021. He successfully prosecuted pro-Donald Trump social media influencer Douglass Mackey for conspiring to intervene in the 2016 elections.

DoJ’s Criminal Division, Fraud Section

The deputy assistant Attorney General for DoJ’s Criminal Division, Lisa H Miller, is the third official who cited Adani in the bribery scam. She took charge of her current office in 2021. Miller’s role is to supervise over 200 prosecutors in the Criminal Division’s Fraud and Appellate Sections.

SEC’s probe, litigation team

Sanjay Wadhwa is an acting director in the Division of Enforcement. Wadhwa is an Indian-American who is leading the US regulator’s Enforcement Division. Wadhwa’s job is to keep an eye on the agency’s civil law enforcement function by conducting probes into possible security law violations.

The second Indian-American Tejal D Shah is working as an associate regional director in the New York office, Enforcement Division. Shah is the official monitoring the agency’s investigation into Adani’s alleged bribery case.