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Five people—not a lone DoorDash driver—used fake customer and driver accounts, along with a former employee’s access to DoorDash systems, to obtain payments for deliveries that never happened. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California says the conspiracy ran from November 2020 through February 2021 and generated more than $2.5 million in fraudulent payments. All five defendants pleaded guilty and had been sentenced by February 10, 2026.
How the DoorDash payment scheme worked
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the group created fictitious customer accounts to place orders and fraudulent driver accounts to receive them. A former DoorDash employee used insider access to the company’s computer systems to assign orders to those fake driver accounts. The participants then manipulated order statuses and payout processing so the accounts were paid even though no deliveries took place.
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In a May 2025 account of a guilty plea, prosecutors said a typical cycle took less than five minutes and was repeated hundreds of times for many orders. The conspiracy period identified in the final sentencing announcement was November 2020 through February 2021. DOJ, May 13, 2025; DOJ, February 10, 2026.
Who was involved
The five defendants named in the final DOJ announcement were Matheus Duarte, Hari Vamsi Anne, Sayee Chaitanya Reddy Devagiri, Manaswi Mandapadu, and Tyler Thomas Bottenhorn. Bottenhorn was the former employee associated with the insider access used in the scheme. The case was therefore not simply one driver submitting false delivery claims; prosecutors described a coordinated operation using both fabricated accounts and access to DoorDash systems. DOJ, February 10, 2026.
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How much money was involved
The final DOJ announcement says, “The scheme resulted in fraudulent payments exceeding $2,500,000.” Sentencing orders reported by the office included restitution of $2,590,195 for Duarte, Anne, Devagiri, and Mandapadu, and $2,127,216 for Bottenhorn. These are restitution orders imposed on defendants, not separate loss amounts to add together; the government’s stated figure for the scheme is more than $2.5 million. DOJ, February 10, 2026.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Charges, guilty pleas, and sentences
The case’s status changed as defendants pleaded guilty. On October 8, 2024, prosecutors announced charges against four defendants and emphasized that the indictment contained allegations; Bottenhorn had been separately charged and pleaded guilty in 2023. Devagiri pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on May 13, 2025. The final update, dated February 10, 2026, reported guilty pleas and sentences for all five. DOJ, October 8, 2024; DOJ, May 13, 2025; DOJ, February 10, 2026.
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| Defendant | Prison sentence | Supervised release |
|---|---|---|
| Matheus Duarte | 25 months | Three years |
| Hari Vamsi Anne | 22 months | Three years |
| Sayee Chaitanya Reddy Devagiri | 21 months | Three years |
| Manaswi Mandapadu | 12 months | Three years |
| Tyler Thomas Bottenhorn | Time served | Three years |
These are the prison terms and supervised-release periods reported in the DOJ’s February 10, 2026 sentencing announcement. The release also reports restitution and forfeiture orders. DOJ, February 10, 2026.
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