“Chaudhari used a fake Indian passport, false name, and false address to open multiple bank accounts in the United States to receive money from victims of the telemarketing scheme.”
A Chicago-based Indian American man has been given a three-year jail sentence for laundering cash proceeds from a telemarketing scheme that defrauded elderly victims, reported americanbazaaronline.com.
Hirenkumar P. Chaudhari, 29, of Des Plaines, Illinois pleaded guilty last year to a federal money laundering charge, according to federal prosecutors. In addition to the three-year prison sentence, US District Judge Sara L. Ellis ordered Chaudhari to pay $6,500 to a Massachusetts victim.
Chaudhari used a fake Indian passport, false name, and false address to open multiple bank accounts in the United States to receive money from victims of the telemarketing scheme, John R. Lausch, Jr., US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois said in a press release.
The scam involved phone calls from people falsely claiming to be associated with, among other agencies, the Social Security Administration and US Department of Justice. Victims were told their identity had been stolen and that it was necessary to transfer money to various bank accounts, including the accounts opened by Chaudhari.
“This sentence demonstrates our commitment to hold those accountable who participate in unlawful schemes in an effort to use the good name of the Social Security Administration to prey on elderly Americans.”
— Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration
One of the victims was a retired nurse from Massachusetts who transferred a total of more than $900,000 from her bank and retirement accounts to accounts controlled by Chaudhari or others.
On April 19, 2018 – one day after Chaudhari opened an account and received a $7,000 transfer from the Massachusetts victim – Chaudhari entered a bank branch in Chicago and withdrew $6,500. Chaudhari engaged in this financial transaction knowing that the money represented proceeds of unlawful activity, the release said. “The defendant played a pivotal role in a telemarketing scheme by laundering money received directly from elderly victims,” said Lausch. “We will continue to investigate, prosecute, and hold accountable anyone who attempts to scam elderly victims out of a peaceful retirement.”
“This sentence demonstrates our commitment to hold those accountable who participate in unlawful schemes in an effort to use the good name of the Social Security Administration to prey on elderly Americans,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration.
“This individual deliberately created bank accounts using various false identities to manage funds obtained by illegal means. We will continue to work with our investigative partners to combat Social Security-related phone scams and pursue those who swindle our citizens out of their life savings.”
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