NJ’s Pranav Patel Jailed For $2M Elder Fraud Scheme

NEW YORK, NY  (IANS)- An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to over six years in prison for his role in a nearly $2 million scheme that defrauded senior citizens through overseas call centers.

On June 11, Federal Judge William Jung sentenced Pranav Patel to 75 months in prison and ordered him to forfeit $1.79 million, representing funds collected from victims in Florida and other locations.

Pranav Patel, 33, of New Jersey, was convicted of money laundering in December, admitting to his role as a “money mule.” His tasks included traveling to Florida and other East Coast locations to collect money and gold from elderly victims.

According to court documents, Patel’s co-conspirators, operating from call centers abroad, impersonated officers from the Treasury Department or other government agencies. They threatened victims with arrest, demanding payments to avoid legal action, or instructing them to hand over money and gold for “safekeeping.”

“Preying on vulnerable, unsuspecting elderly victims to rob them of their hard-earned money is despicable,” stated Secret Service Special Agent Robert Engel after the sentencing in Tampa, Florida. He added, “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’s arrest occurred when he went to a house to collect what he believed was a box of gold, while under surveillance by law enforcement. He was immediately taken into custody after picking up the package. One victim testified in court that the scam forced them to sell their home as they could no longer afford their mortgage.