November 12, 2024 – A criminal complaint unsealed today charges Sajju Khatiwada, 43, of Franklin, Tennessee, with wire fraud and money laundering in a $15 million fraudulent invoice scheme involving Bridgestone Americas, Inc., announced Acting U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Jaworski.
According to the complaint, Khatiwada, formerly employed by Bridgestone, held several roles from 2016 to 2024, most recently as Assistant Treasurer, Capital Planning and Funding. His responsibilities included managing relationships with banks for credit card processing services at Bridgestone’s U.S. retail locations, overseeing bank fees, and authorizing payments.
In July 2020, Khatiwada allegedly created a fake vendor, Paymt-Tech, LLC, through which he submitted false invoices to Bridgestone, claiming they were for bank fees owed to the legitimate vendor, Chase Paymentech. Each month, from August 2020 until his departure in April 2024, Khatiwada allegedly sent emails from his Bridgestone account containing fabricated invoices, successfully receiving payments to Paymt-Tech, LLC.
After Khatiwada left in April, Bridgestone’s accounting department noted a significant drop in monthly bank fees, leading to an internal investigation. The investigation revealed that he had submitted 47 fraudulent invoices from August 2020 to April 2024, totaling nearly $15 million.
If convicted, Khatiwada faces up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud and an additional 10 years for money laundering, along with a potential fine twice the laundered amount.
The FBI’s Nashville Field Office is investigating the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Booth prosecuting.