Nikhil Parekh, a 37-year-old resident of Randallstown, Maryland, has entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court for his involvement in the theft and sale of government-issued smartphones, laptops, and other IT devices intended for destruction. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., Chief J. Thomas Manger of the U.S. Capitol Police, and USAID Special Agent in Charge Sean Bottary.
Parekh admitted to conspiring to commit an offense against the United States by selling stolen goods. His sentencing is scheduled for May 5, 2025, under U.S. District Court Judge Jia M. Cobb.
Court documents reveal that from February 2019 to September 2023, Parekh worked as a driver for an international IT asset disposition company based in Maryland and later Virginia. This company was contracted by several government agencies and private companies to dismantle and recycle obsolete IT assets responsibly.
Between 2022 and 2023, Parekh and his unindicted co-conspirators were responsible for receiving IT assets from victim agencies and companies to either shred them on-site or deliver them to secure shredding facilities owned by the company. However, Parekh confessed that he and others removed these assets clandestinely after receiving them and sold them to electronics resellers for personal gain. They then issued certificates falsely claiming that the IT assets had been wiped and destroyed.
Investigating agents from the U.S. Capitol Police and USAID found evidence of these transactions when some resold devices still bore government asset tags.
Parekh faces up to five years in prison along with a $250,000 fine at sentencing. As part of his plea agreement, he will forfeit various digital devices seized during a search warrant execution at his home and pay $10,000 in restitution.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police alongside the United States Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Hart is prosecuting with assistance from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Ahmed Baset.