Plano couple Sidhartha “Sammy” Mukherjee and Sunita Mukherjee, known for their Bollywood performances and flashy parties, are facing first-degree felony theft charges tied to a web of alleged real estate and financial frauds totaling more than $4 million.
Federal and local investigators allege the Mukherjees defrauded over 100 people through a series of investment schemes that spanned fake remodeling deals, bogus government contracts, a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan and even elder scams involving spoofed law enforcement emails, CBS reported.
The alleged fraud began with real estate.
Victims said they were lured by promises of lucrative returns on projects they were told were affiliated with the Dallas Housing Authority. According to an arrest affidavit, the Mukherjees presented forged DHA contracts and invoices to investors, investigators alleged. One victim claimed a loss of $325,000.
The schemes went undetected for years, investigators said, with several police departments initially brushing off complaints as civil matters. But Euless Police Detective Brian Brennan took on the case in 2023, ultimately bringing in the FBI after uncovering a broader pattern. The paperwork trail was so elaborate it “had to be a full-time job” to create, Brennan said.
Beyond real estate, the couple allegedly used a fake company and fictitious employees to apply for a Paycheck Protection Program loan. Investigators also traced deposits in the Mukherjees’ bank accounts to scams targeting elderly victims who were told they needed to pay money to avoid arrest.
The Mukherjees were arrested in Plano last month and charged with first-degree felony theft in Tarrant County. Both posted $500,000 bonds, but Sammy Mukherjee was later detained by ICE and is being held at a detention center south of Fort Worth. Investigators said the couple came to the U.S. from India seeking asylum, and that Sammy may have outstanding fraud warrants in Mumbai.
The couple has denied all allegations and previously claimed media reports were part of a defamation campaign by jealous rivals.
Authorities believe most of the money is gone. The Mukherjees filed for bankruptcy last year.
“I think they’ve spent it on cars, their house, and in just living expenses,” Brennan told the outlet.
— Judah Duke
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