Two Indian students in the US have been sentenced to over five years (63 months) in prison by a federal court in Austin for cheating elderly people.
Kishan Rajeshkumar Patel, 20, from Navsari, Gujarat, along with his co-accused Dhruv Rajeshbhai Mangukiya and others, scammed elderly victims between July and August 2024. According to court records, they stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold.
The group used online phishing and pretended to be US government officials to trick people. Patel collected the stolen money and gold from the victims, gave part of it to his partners, and kept some for himself. Investigators found they had targeted at least 25 victims, with a total estimated loss of $2.69 million (around ₹23.3 crore).
Patel was caught by police in Granite Shoals on August 24, 2024, after picking up a package with $1.3 lakh from a victim’s home. He was handed over to federal authorities on August 29 and later pleaded guilty on March 18. His sentence was given by US District Judge Robert Pitman.
“This defendant took advantage of his visa status in our country and participated in an international fraud scheme,” said US Attorney Justin Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Patel defrauded vulnerable American citizens out of millions of dollars by impersonating government officials and preying on his victims’ fears of adverse government action. Today’s sentence demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to prosecuting the perpetrators of such nefarious schemes and achieving justice for the victims.”