Here’s a summary of the situation involving Mehul Goswami — an Indian-origin man arrested in the U.S. — plus some commentary on what this means.
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✅ What happened
Goswami, age 39, was a remote employee of the New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) and reported to earn about US $117,891 in 2024 as a “project coordinator”.
Starting in March 2022, he allegedly took a second full-time contractor role with the semiconductor firm GlobalFoundries based in Malta, while still claiming to be working for the State during those same hours.
The accusation: by doing both jobs concurrently, he misused taxpayer funds. The State’s Inspector General’s Office says he “worked a second, full-time job while claiming to be working for the State” which is “an abuse of public resources.”
He’s been charged with grand larceny in the second degree, a Class C felony in New York. That charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
He was arrested by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office in coordination with the NY State Inspector General’s office.
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⚠️ Why it’s significant
Dual employment (“moonlighting”) in itself isn’t always illegal — many workers have side jobs. But in this case the allegation is that he pretended to be performing his State job (paid by taxpayer dollars) while actually working for a private employer. That crosses into potential theft/fraud of public funds.
Public-sector jobs, especially ones funded by tax revenue, carry obligations of exclusive service unless otherwise permitted. The IG statement emphasises trust and integrity of public service.
Remote work complicates monitoring: the role was remote, which may have made oversight harder and enabled the alleged overlap.
The case raises questions about governance, oversight, and how agencies verify employees’ time, especially remote.
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🧮 Some implications to watch
If convicted, a sentence up to 15 years is possible, but actual outcome will depend on many factors: how the court interprets the evidence, plea deals, prior record (if any), mitigating factors, etc.
For government agencies: this may trigger tighter policies on remote roles, dual employment disclosures, audits of time and attendance, etc.
For employees: a cautionary tale — even seemingly remote, side opportunities must be checked against primary employment contracts, conflict-of-interest policies, and transparency obligations.
For public perception: this kind of case can erode trust in public institutions — when taxpayers believe funds are misused, it can fuel cynicism and calls for reform.
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📌 Caveats & open questions
The case is ongoing. Arrest and charge do not equal guilt.
The exact details of his contract(s), what he disclosed to his employer(s), and whether the State approved his second job (or allowed moonlighting) are not fully public yet.
$50,000 is cited (in some reports) as the alleged amount misused.
How the hours overlapped, how much was officially billed/paid to him, what his employer’s policies were — all these go into how the legal argument will proceed.
The fact that the second job was overseas (Malta) adds complexity: difference in time zones? remote contractor status? employment law differences?.