A 33-year-old Indian-origin man, Pranav Patel, has been sentenced to 75 months in prison for his role in a nearly USD 2 million fraud scheme that targeted senior citizens across the United States. The sentencing was handed down by Federal Judge William Jung in Tampa, Florida, on Wednesday.
Patel, a resident of New Jersey, acted as a “money mule” in a complex fraud operation orchestrated by international call centres. He travelled across the East Coast, including Florida, to collect cash and gold from elderly victims who had been coerced through deceit and threats.
As part of the sentencing, Patel was also ordered to forfeit USD 1.79 million, which he and his accomplices had extracted from victims under false pretences.
According to court documents, the scheme involved callers from overseas posing as officials from the US Treasury Department or other government agencies.
They falsely informed seniors that warrants had been issued for their arrest and pressured them to hand over money or valuables to avoid legal action. In some cases, victims were told to surrender their savings for “safekeeping.”
Patel was arrested after attempting to collect a package he believed contained gold. Unaware he was being watched, Patel was arrested by law enforcement moments after collecting the package.
“Preying on vulnerable, unsuspecting elderly victims to rob them of their hard-earned money is despicable,” said Secret Service Special Agent Robert Engel following the sentencing. “Even worse, the defendant’s co-conspirators posed as government agents to defraud victims of nearly $2 million, threatening them with arrest if they didn’t follow their demands,” he added.
One victim testified that the scam left him unable to pay his mortgage, ultimately forcing him to sell his home. Patel pleaded guilty to money laundering in December and admitted his role in the fraudulent operation.
With inputs from IANS