Hardik Jayantilal Patel ordered to pay ₹27 crore in restitution after masterminding multimillion-dollar scam
A 37-year-old Gujarati man, Hardik Jayantilal Patel, has been sentenced to nearly four years in a US federal prison for orchestrating a multimillion-dollar telemarketing scam that defrauded 85 elderly Americans out of ₹27.36 crore (over $3.2 million). Patel, originally from north Gujarat and illegally residing in Lexington, Kentucky, was also ordered by the court to repay the full amount to his victims
, reported gujaratsamachar.com.
Gujarati scammer targeted elderly Americans in a large-scale telemarketing fraud, laundering millions through US-based runners.
Between March and November 2019, Patel led a network of domestic money mules, known as “runners,” who laundered cash obtained from elderly victims across the United States. These victims, manipulated by call centers based in India, were falsely informed that they were under government investigation and needed to send cash through mail to clear their names. Patel’s runners would then collect the packages and funnel the money through laundering channels.
Patel worked closely with Sohil Usmangani Vahora, 40, from Des Plaines, Illinois, who managed his own team of runners. Together, they orchestrated the laundering of millions of dollars collected from victims nationwide. Patel was the last of seven conspirators to be sentenced in related cases by the Southern District of Texas (SDTX).
Judge Andrew S. Hanen, while delivering the sentence, emphasized the grave harm caused by Patel’s actions and highlighted the need to protect seniors from such scams. Assistant US Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani added, “We must protect our seniors from the predations of scammers. SDTX will tirelessly pursue those that seek to profit by swindling the elderly.”
Other convicted individuals included:
- Sohil Vahora: 15+ years in prison, over $3.5 million restitution.
- Zaheen Malvi: 54 months in prison, over $1.6 million restitution.
- Dhirenkumar Patel: 18 months in prison, $225,221 restitution.
- Three other runners: Sentences ranging from 29 to 60 months.
Except for Vahora, a legal permanent resident, all others — including Hardik Patel — were illegally residing in the US at the time of the offenses. Patel remains in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.