Gujarat man pleads guilty in multimillion dollar fraud in US
SLUG: TARGETING ELDERLY CITIZENS
Ahmedabad: Another illegal immigrant from Gujarat, 36-year-old Rakesh Patel from Flushing, New York, pleaded guilty in a multi-million-dollar fraud case in the US on Wednesday.
Patel admitted to participating in a conspiracy that defrauded senior citizens of at least $2,154,889 by posing as a member of a fake federal investigation. The plea was accepted by US District Judge Richard G. Andrews, stated court records.
Between May 2023 and May 2024, Patel and his associates contacted elderly people on the phone, pretending to be federal agents. They told the victims that their identities were compromised and sought their assistance in a fabricated investigation by withdrawing their savings and converting the money into cash or gold bars.
Patel, who hails from the north Gujarat region, acted as a courier, collecting the cash or gold from the victims at their homes or in public spaces. Investigators confirmed that Patel was in the US illegally during this period. As part of the scheme, Patel helped the group collect large amounts of money from elderly individuals in Delaware and other parts of the country.
Patel now faces more than five years in federal prison.
His sentencing will be based on US Sentencing Guidelines and additional legal factors. Acting US Attorney Shannon Hanson said the department of justice was committed to protecting elderly citizens from such scams. The FBI also urged the public to remain alert and report suspicious activity.
Patel's arrest follows another recent case involving a 25-year-old Gujarati student from north Gujarat who was living illegally in Ohio. He was arrested in April 2025 for posing as a US Treasury agent. He allegedly convinced an elderly couple in Michigan to withdraw $50,000 and hand it over in a box. He was tracked using surveillance footage and digital records, arrested on April 30, and arraigned in court on May 5.
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