Overview of the Fraud Scheme
In a significant legal outcome, five individuals have been sentenced for their roles in a sophisticated fraud operation that exploited DoorDash, netting over $2.5 million through a high-tech “phantom delivery” scheme. This announcement came earlier this week from federal authorities in Los Angeles.
Details of the Case
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, the fraudulent activities took place between November 2020 and February 2021. The accused—Matheus Duarte, Hari Vamsi Anne, Sayee Chaitanya Reddy Devagiri, Manaswi Mandadapu, and Tyler Thomas Bottenhorn—engaged in a multifaceted attack on DoorDash’s operational platform.
They created fictitious customer and driver accounts, using insider access to the company’s systems to orchestrate this scheme. By assigning orders to themselves and manipulating data, they falsely reported that numerous deliveries had been completed.
As a consequence of their actions, the individuals involved have been sentenced to prison, with their surrender to federal authorities scheduled to commence throughout March 2026. Upon completion of their prison terms, each will also face a period of three years of supervised release.
