Western District of Louisiana | New Hampshire resident convicted of involvement in online scheme to defraud elderly people

Alexandria, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown made the announcement Raj Vinodchandra Patel34, of New Hampshire, has been sentenced to 51 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell for his role in an online scheme to defraud the elderly. On June 20, 2024, Patel pleaded guilty to one count charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Sometime in September 2023, an elderly resident of Alexandria, Louisiana, saw a “pop-up” message on their computer screen directing them to call a “computer helpline.” This alleged computer helpline was merely a contact number operated by one of Patel’s co-conspirators from India. When the victim called this so-called helpline, they were told that criminal activity had been spotted on their computer and were then directed to a so-called special agent working for the Federal Trade Commission in Washington DC who would assist them further. However, the victim did not actually communicate with a federal agent, but in reality was another co-conspirator of Patel’s operating from India. This fake federal agent falsely claimed that the victim’s social security number had been compromised and that their monetary assets were at risk and that the only way to resolve this would be for the victim to liquidate their bank account, purchase gold bullion and then the bank would transfer. that gold bullion to another federal agent who would hold the gold in safe custody until the “federal investigation” was completed. When in reality there was no federal investigation, but this was an online scam to steal the victim’s money and property.

Patel worked as a courier in this fraud scheme. On October 7, 2023, he flew from Boston to New Orleans, rented a car and drove to the victim’s home to pick up the gold bullion. The victim had been instructed by Patel’s co-conspirator in India to place the gold bullion in the backseat of Patel’s rental car. However, unbeknownst to Patel, the victim had contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) about the fraud scheme. The FBI set up a sting operation and video captured Patel picking up the victim’s package and driving away.

Louisiana State Police troopers stopped Patel and he was arrested. After his arrest, Patel admitted to participating in the scheme and flying to other locations in the United States to collect gold from other elderly victims. Patel further admitted that when he was stopped by law enforcement officers, he deleted the “WhatsApp Business” application from his cell phone to conceal his communications with co-conspirators. The targeted loss amount attributed to this fraud scheme was approximately $514,000.

“There is a strong federal interest in protecting older adults and prosecuting those who take advantage of their vulnerability by using them to commit financial crimes,” said United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. “This is a transnational crime, stretching from India to central Louisiana, which was investigated because the victim trusted his/her instincts and immediately contacted law enforcement. The Department of Justice is ready, willing and able to seek justice for the elderly who are the backbone of our country.”

“Victims in Louisiana lost nearly $12 million last year to schemes like this and those are the people we know,” said Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil of FBI New Orleans. “The victim in this case did exactly what we ask of the public. Trust your instincts. Take a break and call the police. These actors are becoming bolder and potential victims are putting their lives at risk through these encounters. We ask the public to report suspicious activity like this to IC3.gov or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Louisiana State Police and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mike Shannon.

To report elder fraud, contact the dedicated National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 or 1-833-372-8311 and visit the FBI’s IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center at IC3.gov. For more information about the Department of Justice’s elder law efforts, please visit the Elder Justice Initiative page.

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