Ex-Con Now Running for Edison School Board: Report

Edison, NJ - He served six months in federal prison for immigration fraud — and now he wants your vote to serve on the Edison School Board.

Edison resident Nilesh Dasondi, one of five people running for a spot on the Board of Education, pleaded guilty in 2009 to falsifying immigration papers with the federal government, reports MyCentralJersey.com. Federal investigators found that Dasondi filled out H1B visas and green cards for illegal immigrants, falsely claiming they worked for an information technology company he owned, based in Edison. Dasondi would receive hundreds of thousands of dollars from the immigrants in return for the bogus H1B visas, in total collecting $850,000 from eight immigrants here illegally.

He confessed to the scheme in 2009 and served six months in federal prison. Prior to that, Dasondi held a position on the Edison Township Zoning Board and also ran, unsuccessfully, for township council. If Dasondi wins a seat on the Board of Ed., he will likely be disqualified. The state Dept. of Education does criminal background checks on all candidates, something it has only done for the past five years.

"Neither me individually or the Democratic party will be supporting his candidacy for the board of education," said Keith Hahn, chairman of Edison Democratic Organization, told MyCentralJersey. Dasondi did not comment, but he did tell an NJ.com reporter in 2014: "I'm over everything. I'm trying to live my life and trying to do better business and stay away from all issues and problems. Since I am in this community, I will always do something for the community."

Stock image of an officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement making an arrest.