Indian-origin ex-CEO of Silicon Valley start-up founder pleads guilty of fraud

Manish Lachwani

Houston, Apr 29 (PTI) A 47-year-old Indian-origin former CEO of a Silicon Valley technology company pleaded guilty to securities fraud for overstating revenue to investors, according to the Attorney's Office in the US state of California.

Manish Lachwani, the former CEO and founder of a tech start-up, HeadSpin, pleaded guilty in San Francisco federal court on Thursday to two counts of wire fraud and one count of securities fraud charges for his scheme to dupe potential investors into supporting his company, according to a press release by the US Attorney's Office.

Lachwani was arrested in August 2021 and charged with defrauding investors to the tune of USD 80 million by overstating the start-up's revenue and other key financial metrics.