Mounir Gad of Los Gatos sent a federal judge fake reference letters in hopes of getting a lenient sentence in a securities fraud case.

The suspect, Jason Nielsen, 48, of Scotts Valley, was a large shareholder of Arrayit, a publicly traded medical device company based in California.

FBI and Justice Department say Mounir Gad of Los Gatos submitted false letters of support to obtain a light sentence for securities fraud.

Manish Lachwani, CEO of Headspin until 2020, overstated revenue when he sought money from investors, the U.S. Attorney said.

The two were also charged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in a case that included four other people.