$2m call centre fraud: Indian-origin man jailed in US; duped senior citizens as 'money mule'
The US District Judge William F Jung has ordered Pranav Patel to forfeit the amount of $1,791,301, the proceeds of the offense.
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Court records reveal that between October and December 2023, Patel participated in a fraudulent operation targeting elderly individuals. The perpetrators, operating from overseas call centres, falsely presented themselves as US treasury department officials. They deceived victims by either claiming there were arrest warrants that required payment for clearance or persuading them to hand over money and gold for safekeeping, US attorney office said in a statement.
In his role as a money mule, Patel travelled from New Jersey to collect money and gold from elderly victims across the eastern United States, including the Middle District of Florida. During the sentencing, one victim testified that the scam had forced him to sell his house due to inability to pay his mortgage, leaving him entirely dependent on Social Security benefits.
In December 2023, law enforcement officials apprehended Patel in Hillsborough County whilst under surveillance as he attempted to collect what he believed was a box of gold.
His total involvement in the scheme resulted in laundering $1,791,301. Patel pleaded guilty on December 23, 2024.
"Preying on vulnerable, unsuspecting elderly victims to rob them of their hard-earned money is despicable. 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. Thanks to the men and women of the Tampa Field Office, the Pasco Sheriff's Office, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, and the U.S.
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Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida for their diligent work," said US secret service special agent in charge Robert Engel of the Tampa field office.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the United States Secret Service, Pasco Sheriff's Office, and Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, with Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer . Peresie and Maria Guzman handling the prosecution.
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