Texas man ordered to pay nearly $100,000 after jury finds him guilty of defrauding elderly Vietnam veteran
An Indian national living in the United States on a student visa has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for his role in a gold scam targeting an elderly Vietnam veteran.
Venkateswara Chagamreddy, 37, of San Antonio, Texas, was convicted by a jury of conspiring to defraud the victim. US District Judge John D Russell also ordered him to serve three years of supervised release and pay $99,496 in restitution.
Chagamreddy is expected to face removal proceedings after completing his sentence. He will remain in custody pending transfer to the US Bureau of Prisons.
The case began in August 2025, when the victim contacted a phone number he believed belonged to Microsoft support. A caller falsely claimed that criminal activity had been detected on his computer and that his details would be reported to the federal government.
-
The victim was later contacted by people posing as federal and Treasury Department officials
-
They claimed his identity had been stolen and used in criminal activity, and instructed him to convert his savings into gold to protect his money
Believing the claims, the victim bought gold, sent photographs of it to the scammers and handed over the package to a person who arrived at his home.
When the fake officials demanded more money, the victim spoke to a family member, who recognised the fraud and contacted the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies arranged another collection. Chagamreddy was arrested when he arrived at the victim’s home. Investigators found $500 in cash, a mobile phone and 23 ounces of gold in his vehicle.
Evidence presented at trial also linked him to an alleged wider operation targeting elderly people across several US states. Messages recovered from his phone indicated coordination with another individual.
Within 48 hours, Chagamreddy had travelled through Texas, North Carolina, Kansas and Oklahoma to collect gold from elderly victims, prosecutors said.
US Attorney Christopher J Nassar said the case highlighted the need to protect older Americans from predatory fraud and hold offenders accountable.
