21-05-2025
He posed as a federal agent and convinced Millsboro woman to 'liquidate' life savings: DOJ
A 36-year-old man from New York who prosecutors say conspired with others nationwide to defraud senior citizens of more than $2 million has pleaded guilty for his role in at least one Delaware scam.
Rakeshkumar Patel pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, the federal Department of Justice said on May 21. He faces more than five years in prison.
According to local police and federal prosecutors, in February 2024, a Millsboro woman contacted Delaware State Police to report that she was the victim of a scam.
As state troopers and the FBI investigated, they learned that beginning in October 2023, Patel had posed as a federal agent and convinced the woman that she needed to convert money to gold. Police did not say how much she converted.
A state police news release at the time said Patel told the woman to give him the gold for transport to the U.S. Treasury.
Federal prosecutors said on May 21 that Patel worked with others to scam older victims into liquidating their life savings into cash or gold bars. They would then pick up the money at the victims' homes or public locations.
Patel, who prosecutors said was in the U.S. illegally, is set to be sentenced Sept. 17. He is currently being held in prison.
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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Millsboro woman scammed by man posing as federal agent
