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Two Indians convicted in Ohio for multimillion-dollar elder fraud scheme
Pranay Kumar Mamidi and Kishan Vinayak Patel led a money laundering scheme that stole life savings from victims across Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana.
Representative image of Scam / Pexels
Two Indian nationals, Pranay Kumar Mamidi, 27, and Kishan Vinayak Patel, 26, have been convicted for their roles in a vast money laundering conspiracy that stole life savings from victims across Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana.
The details of their crime and convictions were stated in a release issued by the US Attorney's Office Northern District of Ohio on Feb. 4.
A federal jury found Mamidi and Patel guilty after a six-day trial, exposing their involvement in a scheme that funneled fraudulently obtained funds worldwide.
According to court documents, between May and November 2023, Mamidi and Patel operated as money launderers for an international network engaged in phantom hacker scams. These scams typically involved fraudsters impersonating bank representatives, federal agents, or corporate employees to deceive victims—mostly elderly individuals—into withdrawing and handing over their savings under false threats of legal action.
The stolen funds, often converted into cash or gold, were collected at designated drop-off points before being laundered and distributed globally.
Investigators estimate the total amount laundered to be in the tens of millions of dollars. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled. Mamidi and Patel each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of conviction.
Six additional co-defendants, primarily Indian nationals, have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. They include: Dileep Kumar Sakineni, 26; Balaji Rakesh Mulpuri, 26; Avi Jitendrakumar Patel, 22; Sai Hruthik Thodeti, 25; Srinivas Ravi Valluru, 31; and Hiren Jagdishbhai Patel, 33 (Columbus, Ohio)
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio as part of the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative, which targets financial fraud schemes that exploit seniors.
The FBI-Cleveland Field Office conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Melching and Dexter Phillips are leading the prosecution.
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