Computerworld - A lawsuit filed by an Infosys Technologies employee who refused to help the India-based company bring in B-1 visa holders is drawing attention from federal investigators, according to his attorney.

The attorney, Kenneth Mendelsohn of Montgomery, Ala., said federal investigators are seeking the work laptop used by the employee, Jack 'Jay' Palmer, who claims he was harassed and threatened after he declined to assist the company in getting B-1 business visas for employees he believed required an H-1B visa.

The B-1 visa is limited to short-term projects, such as meetings and consulting with associates, and unlike the H-1B visa, doesn't include prevailing wage requirements and other provisions.

The case was originally filed in Lowndes County Circuit Court in Alabama, Palmer's home state. Infosys, subsequently, had the case moved to federal court, and last week filed a motion to take the case to arbitration instead of a jury trial.

Mendelsohn said Palmer is cooperating with federal authorities, which he declined to identify.

Mendelsohn says Infosys also wants Palmer's work laptop and threatened to fire Palmer if he didn't turn it over. Palmer, a consultant for Infosys since 2008, was given a new laptop by the company.

"Infosys has demanded the laptop with full knowledge that the federal investigators want it," said Palmer. ITBusinessEdge first reported this development.