Five Sentenced for Stealing $2.5M from DoorDash

All members of the conspiracy received prison time and restitution orders.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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Five individuals were sentenced in federal court in San Jose for their roles in a conspiracy to steal more than $2.5 million from DoorDash by placing phantom delivery orders. The defendants created fraudulent customer and driver accounts on DoorDash's platform and used insider access to manipulate the company's systems and cause it to pay for deliveries that never occurred.

Why it matters

This case highlights the growing problem of fraud and cybercrime targeting gig economy platforms, which can result in significant financial losses for the companies and undermine consumer trust. It also demonstrates the ability of law enforcement to investigate and prosecute complex fraud schemes involving multiple perpetrators.

The details

According to court documents, the five defendants - Matheus Duarte, Hari Vamsi Anne, Sayee Chaitanya Reddy Devagiri, Manaswi Mandadapu, and Tyler Thomas Bottenhorn - worked together from November 2020 to February 2021 to defraud DoorDash. They created fraudulent customer and driver accounts on DoorDash's platform and used insider access to assign the fraudulent orders to the fake driver accounts, causing DoorDash to pay for deliveries that never occurred.

  • The conspiracy took place from November 2020 to February 2021.
  • The defendants were sentenced on February 12, 2026.

The players

Matheus Duarte

A 30-year-old Brazilian national residing in Hayward, California, who was sentenced to 25 months in prison and ordered to pay $2,590,195 in restitution.

Hari Vamsi Anne

A 31-year-old from Cypress, Texas, who was sentenced to 22 months in prison and ordered to pay $2,590,195 in restitution.

Sayee Chaitanya Reddy Devagiri

A 31-year-old from Newport Beach, California, who was sentenced to 21 months in prison and ordered to pay $2,590,195 in restitution and forfeit $356,732.

Manaswi Mandadapu

A 31-year-old from Irvine, California, who was sentenced to 12 months in prison and ordered to pay $2,590,195 in restitution.

Tyler Thomas Bottenhorn

A 30-year-old from Dixon, California, who received a time-served sentence with 3 years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $2,127,216 in restitution and forfeit $244,247.

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The takeaway

This case demonstrates the serious consequences for individuals who engage in sophisticated fraud schemes targeting gig economy platforms, with the defendants receiving significant prison sentences and restitution orders. It underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity measures and fraud detection systems for companies operating in the digital economy.