US v EdwardsPatelVenkata

Court Numbers: 20-cr-66 (Edwards and Venkata), 19-cr-81 (Patel) 

DHS-OIG employees Charles Edwards, Sonal Patel, and Murali Venkata engaged in an unlawful scheme to convert government property for private gain between October 2014 and April 2017. They stole valuable code and databases belonging to the government.  Their plan was to use the stolen property to develop a commercial software product, which they intended to sell back to the government at a profit.  They hired a software development company in India to build the purported commercial product.  To facilitate the Indian developers’ work, they gave the developers access to vast amounts of sensitive information contained within the stolen databases, including law-enforcement records, information regarding witnesses and confidential informants, and the Personally Identifying Information (“PII”) of hundreds of thousands of government employees such as yourself.  Upon learning that he was under investigation, Venkata deleted incriminating text messages, call records, and emails in an effort to obstruct the investigation.

Sonal Patel and Charles Edwards both pled guilty and agreed to cooperate with the government.  On April 4, 2019, Sonal Patel pled guilty pre-indictment to one count of Conspiracy to Commit Theft of Government Property, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371.  On March 5, 2020, a grand jury returned an Indictment charging defendants Charles Edwards and Murali Venkata with Conspiracy to Commit Offenses Against the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 (Count One); Theft of Government Property, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 641 & 2 (Count Two); Wire Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1343 & 2 (only Count Eleven pertained to Venkata); and Aggravated Identity Theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1028A & 2 (Counts Twelve through Fifteen).  The Indictment also charged Venkata with Destruction of Records, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1519 (Count Sixteen).  On January 14, 2022, Charles Edwards pled guilty to Count One and Count Two.  Murali Venkata decided to go to trial, which began on March 28, 2022.  On April 11, 2022, the jury returned a verdict finding Venkata guilty of all counts on which they deliberated: Counts One, Two, Eleven, Thirteen, and Sixteen.  The Court subsequently dismissed Count Thirteen.

            A sentencing date has now been scheduled.  All three defendants are currently scheduled to be sentenced on January 26, 2024, beginning at 9:00 a.m. EST.  All of the sentencings will be held before Judge Randolph D. Moss in Courtroom 8 of the U.S. Courthouse.  If you wish to attend the sentencings, the courthouse address is 333 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20001.  If you plan to attend, please let us know in advance. 

You may complete a Victim Impact Statement prior to sentencing but you are NOT required to do so.  If you chose to do so, please submit the victim impact statements via email by December 17, 2023 at USADC.VisDistrict@usdoj.gov

If you wish to speak at sentencing, please call toll free 1-844-527-5299(Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm Eastern), or send an email to USAEO.MCAP@usdoj.gov.no later than December 17, 2023.

Because of the Court’s schedule, hearing dates could change on very short notice.  If you plan on attending the sentencing, you may want to check the court calendars at https://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/court-calendars.

Should you have questions concerning this case, please call toll free 1-844-527-5299(Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm Eastern), or send an email to USAEO.MCAP@usdoj.gov.

Victims of the charges filed are entitled to the following rights, according to the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3771: (1) The right to be reasonably protected from the accused; (2) The right to reasonable, accurate, and timely notice of any public court proceeding, or any parole proceeding, involving the crime or of any release or escape of the accused; (3) The right not to be excluded from any such public court proceeding, unless the court, after receiving clear and convincing evidence, determines that testimony by the victim would be materially altered if the victim heard other testimony at that proceeding; (4) The right to be reasonably heard at any public proceeding in the district court involving release, plea, sentencing, or any parole proceeding; (5) The reasonable right to confer with the attorney for the Government in the case; (6) The right to full and timely restitution as provided in law; (7) The right to proceedings free from unreasonable delay; (8) The right to be treated with fairness and with respect for the victim's dignity and privacy; (9) The right to be informed in a timely manner of any plea bargain or deferred prosecution agreement; and (10) The right to be informed of the rights under this section and the services described in section 503(c) of the Victims’ Rights and Restitution Act of 1990 (34 U.S.C. § 20141(c)) and provided contact information for the Office of the Victims’ Rights Ombudsman of the Department of Justice.

Status Update – January 30, 2024:

Charles Edwards: 18 months of incarceration on counts 1 and 2, to run concurrently.  24 months of supervised release on each count, to run concurrently.

Sonal Patel: 2 years of probation, with the 1st year as home incarceration.  Fine of $40,000.

Murali Venkata: 4 months of incarceration on each count, to run concurrently.  24 months of supervised release on each count, to run concurrently, with the first 8 months as home incarceration.  Restitution of $296 for victim S.B.  60 hours of community service.