A 51-year-old Windham, N.H., man was sentenced last week in federal court for using his own company to defraud United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, where he also worked.
Acting New Hampshire U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack said Imran Alrai, owner of DigitalNet Technology Solutions, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph N. Laplante to three years in federal prison and a year of supervised release. Alrai was also ordered to pay restitution of $2.3 million. In October 2024, Alrai was convicted by a federal jury of 12 counts of wire fraud and six counts of money laundering.
“For six years, the defendant carried out a calculated and sophisticated scheme to steal millions from a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting our most vulnerable communities,” said McCormack. “He exploited the organization’s trust, fabricating companies, employees and invoices—all to line his own pockets at the expense of those the nonprofit was meant to serve.”
James Crowley, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division said Alrai “treated the United Way of Massachusetts and Merrimack Valley like his very own ATM, stealing millions of dollars and shortchanging their efforts and the community in the process.” Homeland Security Investigations New England Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol added Alrai “used his technical expertise to craft an elaborate fraud scheme that went undetected for years, allowing him to siphon millions to fulfill his own greed.”
Between 2012 and June 2018, Alrai, an IT professional at the United Way, obtained approximately $6.7 million in payments for IT services supposedly provided to United Way by his own firm. Officials said in court Alrai concealed he owned and controlled DigitalNet and overcharged United Way for the services he provided. In early 2013, Alrai rigged the bidding process for a major contract to provide managed IT services at the United Way so that DigitalNet was chosen
After the fraud came to light, in June 2018, officials at the United Way confronted Alrai and fired him.