US v. Ankur Khemani, et. al.

The defendants are:
Ankur Khemani
Marilyn Sterk
Gaurav Bhasin
Jennifer Sterk
Teresa Sterk Vanbaale

Case Summary: The defendants are alleged to have operated a bogus computer technical support company. Victims would obtain the toll-free number for the phony service through either (1) a pop-up advertisement that would appear on the victim’s computer, or (2) through an Internet search for technical support services. Victims’ calls would be routed to a call center in India, where an individual posing as a technical support technician would obtain remote access to their computers and falsely inform the victims that their computers had been targeted by hackers and/or had been infected with malware. The phony technician would then pretend to perform repairs and/or install unneeded computer programs. The victim would be billed between $300 and $1,500 for the bogus work performed, and would be instructed to send payment, either by U.S. Postal Service or FedEx, to an address inside the United States. Upon receipt of the payments, defendants inside the United States would send the money to defendants in India.

Court History:
On February 19, 2020, a federal grand jury returned a two-count Indictment in this case charging each of the defendants in relation with their role in the tech scam.   Eventually, all five (5) defendants signed plea agreements admitting their role in the scam and entered guilty pleas before the United States District Court.  Following presentence investigations conducted by the United States Probation Office, each defendant was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Thomas A Varlan.   A copy of the Indictment and each of the defendants’ plea agreements can be found below under Court Documents.  A summary of the Outcome of Sentencing for each of the defendants is listed below and a copy of the defendants judgments are listed below under Judgment Documents.

Outcome of Sentencing:

Defendant Ankur Khemani was sentenced on September 28, 2023, to serve six (6) years and three (3) months in prison.  At the conclusion of the defendant’s prison term, the defendant shall be surrendered to a duly authorized immigration official for deportation in accordance with the established procedures provided by the Immigration and Naturalization Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1101. If deported, the defendant must comply with the deportation order and remain outside the United States.  If allowed to return to the United States, the defendant shall be placed on Supervised Release for a term of three (3) years.  Restitution is ordered in the amount of $4,376,841.24 which is due immediately and shall be joint and several with Gaurav Bhasin, Marilyn Sterk, Jennifer Sterk, and Teresa Sterk.

Defendant Marilyn Sterk was sentenced on December 20, 2023, to serve thirty (30) months in prison.  The defendant will self-report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons pending designation.  Following the defendant’s release from prison, the defendant will be placed on Supervised Release for a term of two (2) years. Restitution is ordered in the amount of $4,376,841.24 which is due immediately and shall be joint and several with Ankur Khemani, Gaurav Bhasin, Jennifer Sterk, and Teresa Sterk.

Defendant Teresa Sterk was sentenced on December 20, 2023, to three (3) years Probation. Restitution is ordered in the amount of $187,056.59 which is due immediately and shall be joint and several with Ankur Khemani, Gaurav Bhasin, Jennifer Sterk, and Marilyn Sterk.

Defendant Jennifer Sterk was sentenced on December 20, 2023, to three (3) years Probation. Restitution is ordered in the amount of $109,324.18 which is due immediately and shall be joint and several with Ankur Khemani, Gaurav Bhasin, Teresa Sterk, and Marilyn Sterk.

Defendant Gaurav Bhasin was sentenced on March 28, 2023, to serve three (3) years and four (4) months in prison.  The defendant will self-report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons pending designation.  Following the defendant’s release from prison, the defendant will be placed on Supervised Release for a term of three (3) years. Restitution is ordered in the amount of $4,376,841.24 which is due immediately and shall be joint and several with Ankur Khemani, Marilyn Sterk, Jennifer Sterk, and Teresa Sterk.

An itemized list of victims and amounts has been provided to the Clerk of the Court for each of the defendants so that in the event any restitution payments are made, the Clerk of Court will mail a check with the defendant's name and court docket number referenced in the memo section. Victims should keep their mailing addresses up-to-date with the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of TN.  Updated mailing information can be provided by US Mail to 800 Market Street, Suite 211 Knoxville, TN 37902, or my email USAEO.MCAP@usdoj.gov.

For the defendants who were sentenced to serve time in prison, you may check the defendants’ status in prison by visiting the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) website https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/. You can search by the defendant's name.  Please note it may take up to 60 days or more for the defendant to be entered into the BOP system.  Going forward, once the defendant is transferred to the BOP, the BOP will provide updates regarding the defendant’s status in prison.

Court Documents:      Khemani Indictment
                                         Ankur Khemani Plea Agreement
                                         Marilyn Sterk Plea Agreement
                                         Gaurav Bhasin Plea Agreement
                                         Jennifer Sterk Plea Agreement
                                         Teresa Sterk Plea Agreement                     

Judgment Documents: Ankur Khemani Judgment
                                            Marilyn Sterk Judgment
                                            Jennifer Sterk Judgment
                                            Teresa Sterk Judgment    
                                            Gaurav Bhasin Judgment 

Contact Information: For further information about this case, please contact the Victim Case Assistance Program toll free at 1-844-527-5299.