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NRI Pulse
February 2020
Atlanta’s Premier South Asian Newspaper February 2020
3 Atlanta Indians Sentenced For Fraud Three Indians from the Atlanta area were among eight defendants who have been sentenced for their roles in an Indian based call center fraud scheme that victimized thousands in the United States resulting in over $3.7 million in losses. The sentences ranged from six months to four years and nine months in prison. Mohamed Kazim Momin, 33, of Norcross, Georgia, was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Mohmed Sozab Momin, 23, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Palak Kumar Patel, 30, Clarkston, Georgia, was sentenced to ten months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $19,142.60 in restitution. According to U.S. Attorney Pak, these defendants were involved in a sophisticated scheme organized by co-conspirators in India, including a network of call centers in Ahmedabad, India. Using information obtained from data brokers and other sources, call center operators called potential victims while impersonating officials from the Internal Revenue Service or individuals offering fictitious payday loans. The call center operators would then threaten potential victims with arrest, imprisonment, or fines if they did not pay taxes or penalties to the government. If the victims agreed to pay, the call centers would immediately turn to a network of U.S.-based co-conspirators to liquidate and launder the extorted funds by purchasing prepaid debit cards or through wire transfers, including through MoneyGram and Western Union, to the attention of fictitious names and U.S.-based defendants and their co-conspirators.
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Atlanta’s Dr Jag Sheth Receives Padma Bhushan
Atlanta, GA: Atlanta’s Dr. Jagdish N. Sheth is among the 16 Padma Bhushan awardees announced by the Government of India on the eve of Republic Day earlier this month. Dr. Sheth is the Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Business at the Goizueta Business School of Emory University and a world-renowned management Guru. Dr Sheth is part of the NRI Pulse family through his regular column, ‘Jag’s Thoughts’. “I am very humbled and grateful for receiving this award. I am grateful because I got free education in India, and that foundation led me to who I am today,” Dr Sheth told NRI Pulse. He said the award was a recognition of the intangible soft power of the Indian global diaspora. “The 20 million strong Indian diaspora is a very important asset for India. We have done exceptionally well, integrated into our adopted countries and rise to the occasion when India needs us.” “This award is not only about my research and writings; it is also about giving back to India.” Dr Sheth also acknowledged the support of his wife Madhu and expressed his deep appreciation and love for her. “I am grateful to Madhu for standing beside me through the years,” he said. Also known as “Jag,” Dr. Sheth has published more than 350 research papers and 30 books in various areas of marketing and management including consumer behavior, multivariate methods, competitive strategy, relationship marketing and more recently, marketing for emerging
markets. His most recent book is, ‘Genes, Climate and Consumption Culture’. His memoir ‘The Accidental Scholar’ narrates his journey- from a refugee from Burma to an academic scholar. Prior to coming to Emory University, Dr. Jagdish Sheth was the Robert E. Brooker Professor of Marketing at the University of Southern California and the Walter H. Stellner Distinguished Professor of Marketing at the University of Illinois. He was also on the faculty of Columbia University and MIT. Dr. Sheth is an American Psychological Association Fellow and past President of the Association for Consumer Research (ACR). He is also a Fellow of the American Marketing Association and the Academy of Marketing Science. Among his past and present accolades, Dr. Sheth was the recipient of the Viktor Mataja Medal from the Austrian Research Society in Vienna (1977) and the 1989 Outstanding Marketing Educator Award from the Academy of Marketing Science. In 1991 and again in 1999, Dr. Sheth was also recognized as the “Marketing Educator of the Year” by Sales and Marketing Executives International (SMEI). This year the President of India has approved conferment of 141 Padma Awards including four duo case (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one). The list comprises seven Padma Vibhushan, 16 Padma Bhushan and 118 Padma Shri Awards. Thirty-four of the awardees are women and the list also includes 18 persons from the category of foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 12 posthumous awardees.
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NZ Volcano Eruption Claims Lives Of Sewa Atlanta President, Wife
Pratap Singh Chouhan, the president of Sewa USA’s Atlanta chapter passed away at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland on January 28th morning after suffering burn injuries in the devastating December 9 eruption of the White Island/ Whakaari volcano in New Zealand. The eruption also claimed the life of his wife Mayuari Singh on December 22. The Singh family was on a cruise in Australia and New Zealand when the tragedy occurred. The couple is survived by their 11-year-old son and twin six-year-old girls. A prayer meeting in memory of Chouhan held at Ashiana Banquet Hall in Global Mall on January 30th evening was well attended by friends and well-wishers. “Pratap was well known for his philantrophic work, especially in the African-American community in downtown area,” said Sewa Atlanta’s Swadesh Katoch in a statement. “He was (instrumental) in bringing Baba Ramdev to Atlanta.” Chouhan was a big supporter of Sewa International’s Sponsor-a-Child project. in India. His family supported several Hindu temples in Atlanta, especially ISKCON, Katoch said. There were 47 people on or near the island at 2.11 p.m. on December 9 when Whakaari/White Island erupted, spewing gas and ash into the air. A total of 21 people have died in the tragedy.