Phishing emails, threatening calls: Gujarati duo cheats 25 Americans of $2.7 million; 1 sentenced to 63 months

AHMEDABAD: Two young men from Gujarat, living in the United States on student visas, ran a month-long scam and cheated 25 elderly Americans out of nearly $2.7 million. According to police sources, they used fear and well-planned deception to target the victims in 2024.

The sentence was announced on Wednesday by a federal court in Austin.Kishan Patel, 20, from Navsari, was sentenced to 63 months in a US federal prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering. His co-accused, Dhruv Mangukiya, 21, pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.According to court records, the fraud ran from July to Aug 2024. Patel and Mangukiya, along with other unnamed conspirators, impersonated US govt officials to target vulnerable seniors.

Using phishing emails and threatening phone calls, they convinced victims to part with large sums of cash and even gold, claiming the victims faced legal trouble unless they complied.Patel allegedly acted as the collector. "He visited victims' homes to pick up the money, keeping a portion for himself and routing the rest to others involved. The value of the scam was pegged at $2,694,156," said a source.The net closed in when Patel was arrested by Granite Shoals Police on Aug 24, 2024, while retrieving a package believed to contain $1,30,000 in cash from a victim's residence. He was handed over to federal authorities five days later and pleaded guilty on March 18. On June 17, US district judge Robert Pitman sentenced him."This defendant took advantage of his visa status and preyed on the fears of vulnerable seniors," said US attorney Justin Simmons. "The sentence reflects our commitment to protect victims of such schemes."