Pranav Patel to serve over six years in prison for laundering money from senior citizens in massive fraud scheme
An Indian-origin man, Pranav Patel, has been sentenced to 75 months in prison for his role in a call centre scam that defrauded elderly victims in the United States of nearly $2 million. The sentence was handed down by Federal Judge William Jung in a court in Tampa, Florida, on Wednesday, reported gujaratsamachar.com.
Patel, who admitted to money laundering, must also forfeit $1.79 million collected through the scheme.
According to court documents, Patel acted as a “money mule”, personally collecting cash and gold from victims who were deceived by fraudsters posing as U.S. government officials. Operating from call centres abroad, the co-conspirators impersonated Treasury agents and threatened seniors with arrest warrants, demanding payment to avoid jail time.
Law enforcement arrested Patel while he was attempting to collect a package he believed contained gold from another elderly target.
The U.S. Secret Service, which led the investigation, condemned the exploitation of vulnerable seniors. “Preying on unsuspecting elderly victims is despicable,” said Special Agent Robert Engel. “Even worse, the fraudsters posed as government agents, coercing victims into handing over their life savings.”
Patel, aged 33 and residing in New Jersey, travelled across states including Florida to collect money and valuables. He was arrested after authorities, who had him under surveillance, caught him retrieving a decoy package.
Court testimonies revealed the scam’s devastating impact: one victim lost so much money he was forced to sell his home to pay off debts.
The case underscores a growing trend in transnational fraud operations targeting elderly U.S. residents and highlights the urgency of stronger protections against such exploitative crimes.
