Who is Sadhana Gollapudi? Row over Indian woman's dancing video as she's baselessly accused of visa fraud; US attorney says she's a naturalized citizen

An Indian-American woman faced a public online accusation of visa fraud after a video of her dancing was shared by an anti-Indian social media account. The account claimed Sadhana Gollapudi had been in the U.S. on an F-1 student visa since 2014, calling her a "forever" student and alleging she violated her visa by working as a dancer and tutor.

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Sadhana enjoys traditional barefoot crab dancing in Houston, Texas. For 12 years, she has played the student visa game, enrolling in multiple programs. Works as a dancer & cash tutor violating her visa.

US Attorney Aaron Reitz intervened, confirming Gollapudi is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He stated that his office prosecutes visa fraud but that Gollapudi was not in the country on a student visa. Reitz emphasized that neither undocumented immigrants nor those who illegally obtain legal status are welcome in America.

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Thanks for flagging. My office looked. She’s a naturalized US citizen, not here on student visa. As US Attorney over Houston, I take visa fraud seriously. We prosecute it to the fullest. Neither illegal aliens nor those who obtain legal status illegally are welcome on American soil.

The accuser's account did not apologize for the false claims. Instead, it stated they had other serious visa fraud cases with evidence to share with the prosecutor's office.

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Taxpayer -unded federal power should protect innocent Americans, not legitimize online witch hunts and reward reckless smears.

The incident sparked backlash from the Indian-American community. Sidharth, co-founder of the Indian American Advocacy Council, filed a complaint with the Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility. He criticized the U.S. Attorney's office for not only confirming Gollapudi's citizenship but also for thanking the accuser, arguing that federal power should protect citizens from online witch hunts and baseless smears.

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US Attorney @USAttyReitz invoked the authority of his office, confirmed she is a naturalized citizen, needlessly disclosed her citizenship status and then thanked the false accuser.