A guy from India was found guilty of stealing over $400,000 from several people in the Midwest.
The Department of Justice says that 44-year-old Nirav Patel was found guilty of taking part in a fake identity scam. Patel was charged with stealing more than $400,000 from folks in the Midwest.
It said that Patel was found guilty by a jury of one count of plot to commit wire and mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and one count of illegal entry into the U.S. by an alien. Reports say Patel worked for a scam where people pretend to be government agents.
Authorities say that they then take advantage of and manipulate senior victims for money. Patel is said to have gone to the victims’ homes to get money and other things.
Officials say the scammers sent the victims texts and emails telling them that their Amazon accounts had been hacked. After that, the victims would call other criminals who were pretending to be federal officers.
The victims were then told they had to take out their life savings and put them in fake FTC or U.S. Treasury trust funds. The money was stolen, though, and sent to accounts in India that were run by crooks.
Patel was also found guilty of coming into the country illegally. Police said Patel sneaked into the U.S. near Vancouver and then traveled all over the country.
Patel said in court that he went to the suburbs of Chicago because he could get a driver’s license there even though he was in the country illegally. He was caught when he tried to get $35,000 in cash from an old man in April 2023.
For conspiracy and each count of wire fraud, Patel could get up to 20 years in jail and a fine of up to $250,000. He is going to get his sentence on May 29.
Several groups, such as the Wisconsin Merrill Police Department and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, helped with the probe.
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