New York– An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for his role in a nearly $2 million call center fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims across the United States.
Pranav Patel, 33, was sentenced on Wednesday to 75 months in prison by U.S. District Judge William Jung in Tampa, Florida. In addition to the prison term, Patel was ordered to forfeit $1.79 million, the amount collected from senior citizens in Florida and other states through the fraudulent scheme.
According to court documents, Patel acted as a “money mule” in the operation, physically collecting cash or gold from victims who had been misled by overseas call centers. He pleaded guilty to money laundering in December.
“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.”
Patel was apprehended while attempting to retrieve what he believed to be a box of gold from a residence. Law enforcement officials, who had been monitoring his activities, arrested him immediately after he picked up the package.
The scam involved international co-conspirators operating from call centers who posed as officials from the U.S. Treasury Department or other government agencies. They called elderly Americans and falsely informed them that arrest warrants had been issued in their names. To avoid arrest, the victims were told they had to make payments—sometimes in cash, sometimes in gold—to supposed government representatives.
In some instances, the victims were manipulated into believing they needed to turn over their valuables for safekeeping. Patel traveled from his home in New Jersey to Florida and other parts of the East Coast to collect the money and gold in person.
The emotional and financial toll on the victims was significant. One elderly victim told the court that he was forced to sell his home because he could no longer afford his mortgage after losing money in the scam.
Patel’s sentencing marks a significant outcome in a broader investigation into call center scams that exploit elderly Americans, many of whom fall prey to intimidation tactics and fraudulent threats of legal action. (Source: IANS)
