Gujarati man sentenced in US for $3m fraud

AHMEDABAD: A man from Gujarat has been sentenced to nearly four years in a US prison for masterminding a multi-million-dollar scam that tricked elderly Americans into sending cash by mail.
Hardik Jayantilal Patel, 37, originally from North Gujarat, ran the scam from Kentucky in coordination with call centres based in India. The court also ordered him to return over $3.2 million (Rs 27.36 crore approx) to 85 identified victims.

Hardik was leader of the gang that scammed dozens of victims, said an officer of the US Department of Justice. Between March and Nov 2019, Hardik and his team targeted elderly US citizens by making fake phone calls posing as govt agents. The callers would claim the victims were under investigation and demand that they mail cash to clear their names. Believing the lies, victims across the US sent large amounts of money in packages - which Hardik's team then collected, transported, and laundered.
"Hardik pleaded guilty in Dec 2023. On sentencing, the US district judge gave him 46 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to return over $3.2 million to 85 identified victims. Since Hardik is not a US citizen, he will face deportation after his prison term," said a statement from the US Department of Justice.
According to the US officials, Hardik was not working alone. At least three runners worked under him to collect money packages. He also partnered with Sohil Usmangani Vhora, a 40-year-old from Gujarat living in Illinois, who operated his own crew. Together, they picked up hundreds of cash-laden parcels across the US between 2019 and 2020.
Though several individuals were involved in the wider fraud network, only Hardik Patel was sentenced in this particular case in the Southern District of Texas. He was the last among seven people prosecuted in related cases.
Vhora received more than 15 years in prison and was ordered to repay over $3.5 million (Rs 29.93 crore approx.). Another conspirator, Zaheen Malvi, 30, from Arkansas, was sentenced to 54 months and ordered to return $1.6 million (Rs 13.66 crore approx).
Dhiren Patel, 33, originally from Ahmedabad and staying illegally in the US, worked as a runner for Hardik. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail and fined $225,221 (Rs 1.92 crore approx.).
Three other runners got prison terms ranging from 29 to 60 months. Except for Vhora, all the accused were in the US without legal documentation when the scam was carried out.
The investigation involved several US federal agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the US Postal Inspection Service, and the Social Security Administration. Local police departments in Kentucky and Arkansas also assisted in tracking and prosecuting the accused.