Indian-origin man faces 15-year prison term for moonlighting in US, ‘stealing’ $50,000

Mehul Goswami worked remotely with the New York State Office of Information Technology Services and held another second job in Malta.

An Indian-origin man in the United States has reportedly been arrested for holding two simultaneous jobs and stealing $50,000 from state funds. Identified as Mehul Goswami, the man now faces 15 years in jail on charges of grand larceny.

Mehul Goswami

Goswami was reportedly employed by the New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) as a remote worker and while holding another second job in the nearby town of Malta while drawing a salary from the state.

The case was being jointly investigated by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Inspector General’s Office.

“Public employees are entrusted with the responsibility to serve with integrity, and Mr. Goswami’s alleged conduct represents a serious breach of that trust,” Inspector General Lucy Lang was quoted as saying.

“Working a second, full-time job while claiming to be working for the State is an abuse of public resources, including taxpayer dollars.” As per reports, Goswami's offense is a non-bailable one under the revised rules in New York.

Holding two simultaneous jobs, known as moonlighting, has become more common in the past few years. The US Census Bureau data says there has an approximate increase of 10 percent increase in the number of Americans holding more than one job between1996 to 2018.

According to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than four million American workers held two simultaneous jobs in 2022, while a few hundred thousand workers held two two-full-time jobs at the same time in 2022.

In India, moonlighting is fast picking up, driven by factors such as minimal salary hikes and increasing cost of living, particularly in IT sector. The companies are now tightening the rules and scanning employees for any history of undisclosed employment.