The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, New York, is investigating at least two companies, Broadband Telecom and Bridgevoice, and their owner, Bankim Brahmbhatt, according to a person familiar with the case who asked not to be identified because the details are confidential.
Prosecutors have asked individuals with knowledge of the companies’ activities to voluntarily turn over documents, but it is unclear whether officials have sent subpoenas, the person said. Lenders have sued Broadband Telecom and Bridgevoice in New York and Delaware, accusing them of falsifying accounts receivable in a fraud that attorneys called “breathtaking” in scale.
Broadband Telecom and Bridgevoice filed for bankruptcy in August in the federal bankruptcy court in the Eastern District of New York, which includes Brooklyn. A subsidiary of Bridgevoice and Broadband Telecom filed for bankruptcy last month, with debts of as much as $1 billion and creditors including BlackRock’s HPS Investment Partners.
Bankruptcy attorneys for the two companies did not immediately return a message seeking comment. BlackRock declined to comment, as did federal prosecutors. The Financial Times reported the research earlier on Monday.
Broadband Telecom and Bridgevoice are controlled by Brahmbhatt, a little-known Indian businessman, through a company he founded in 1989, Bankai Group. Brahmbhatt filed for personal bankruptcy at the same time as his companies in August.
Attorneys listed as representing Brahmbhatt in his personal bankruptcy case did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Officials at Bankai Group also did not immediately return emails seeking comment.
The lenders who filed suit say in court documents in the Delaware case that Brahmbhatt is in India for family reasons and has not confirmed when or if he plans to return.
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Published on November 18, 2025
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