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Indian man jailed in US for $3.2M fraud
Since Patel is not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his prison term.
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Malvika Choudhary - Fri, 25, Apr 2025
- 12:02 EDT
- 84
Representative Image / Unsplash
An Indian national was sentenced on April 23 to 46 months in federal prison in the United States for leading a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme that targeted elderly Americans.
37-year-old Hardik Jayantilal Patel, an illegal resident from Lexington, Kentucky, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to charges related to his role in the telemarketing scam, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas said.
Also Read: Indian co-owner of San Jose staffing firm jailed for H1-B visa frau
Patel collaborated with associate Sohil Usmangani Vahora, 40, of Des Plaines, Illinois, who managed his own team of runners. Together, they coordinated efforts to launder fraud proceeds, collecting hundreds of packages containing millions of dollars from victims across multiple states between 2019 and 2020.
Vahora was previously sentenced to over 15 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $3.5 million in restitution.
Other co-conspirators include Zaheen Malvi, 30, of Heber Springs, Arkansas, who received a 54-month sentence and was ordered to pay over $1.6 million in restitution, and Dhirenkumar Patel, 33, of Richmond, Kentucky, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay $225,221 in restitution. Three additional runners received sentences ranging from 29 to 60 months.
U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen, who presided over the case, noted the significant harm caused by Patel and his conspirators to a large number of victims. Given that Patel is not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his prison term.
In addition to his prison term, he was ordered to pay $3,203,478 in restitution to 85 identified victims and will face three years of supervised release upon completion of his sentence.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei emphasized the commitment to protecting seniors from such fraudulent schemes, stating, "We have an obligation to protect our seniors from the predations of scammers. SDTX will tirelessly pursue those that seek to profit by swindling the elderly."
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