California Man Pleads Guilty in $2.5 Million DoorDash Fraud Scheme

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An artistic representation highlighting the vulnerabilities in digital food delivery services.

News Summary

Sayee Chaitanya Reddy Devagiri, a 30-year-old from Newport Beach, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud involving a $2.5 million fraud scheme targeting DoorDash. His fraudulent activities, which included exploiting insider knowledge and manipulating the DoorDash platform, took place over four months. Devagiri faces up to 20 years in prison and a possible fine after striking a deal in court. This case underscores the importance of security measures for digital platforms amid rising fraud incidents.

California – A 30-year-old man from Newport Beach, Sayee Chaitanya Reddy Devagiri, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a massive $2.5 million fraud scheme targeting DoorDash, a prominent food delivery service. The guilty plea was entered in a San Jose court on May 13, 2025.

Devagiri’s fraudulent activities took place over a span of four months, between November 2020 and February 2021, during which he and his accomplices executed a sophisticated plan that exploited both the DoorDash platform and its customer accounts. As a former DoorDash delivery driver, Devagiri utilized his insider knowledge to facilitate the fraud.

Together with three co-conspirators, including two individuals aged 29 and another aged 30, as well as a former DoorDash employee, Devagiri engaged in a scheme involving high-value orders placed via fraudulent customer accounts. They misused credentials obtained from the former employee to manipulate DoorDash’s software, allowing them to access the system illicitly and manually reassign orders.

The group falsely reported that these expensive orders had been delivered by using fraudulent driver accounts. In doing so, they altered the status of the orders within DoorDash’s system from “delivered” to “in process,” effectively triggering repetitive payments for deliveries that had never taken place. This manipulation was executed in under five minutes and was performed hundreds of times across various orders.

Devagiri was indicted by a federal grand jury alongside his co-conspirators in August 2024 and was arrested on October 4, 2024. All four individuals were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud as a result of their involvement in the scheme. Co-defendant Manaswi Mandadapu also pleaded guilty to similar charges on May 6, 2025, while another accomplice, Tyler Thomas Bottenhorn, who had provided access to DoorDash systems, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in November 2023.

As a result of his guilty plea, Devagiri is now facing a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years and may be required to pay a fine of $250,000. A status hearing concerning his case is set for September 16, 2025.

The fraudulent activities perpetrated by Devagiri and his associates primarily occurred in Northern California, particularly in Santa Clara County. The scope of the scheme involved a total of hundreds of fraudulent payments made to accounts controlled by the conspirators, impacting the financial operations of DoorDash significantly.

This case highlights the vulnerabilities in digital platforms that can be exploited by individuals with insider knowledge. As online food delivery services continue to grow in popularity, incidents of fraud like this underscore the importance of security measures to protect both consumers and companies against such deceptive practices.

DoorDash has publicly committed to enhancing its security protocols and ensuring accountability in the wake of this incident, as the company seeks to rebuild trust with its customers and partners affected by the fraud.