Resident of New Hampshire Sentenced for Involvement in Online Scheme to Defraud the Elderly

ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that Raj Vinodchandra Patel, 34, of New Hampshire, has been sentenced by United States District Judge Dee D. Drell to 51 months in prison for his role in an online scheme to defraud the elderly.  On June 20, 2024, Patel pleaded guilty to one count indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.  

Sometime in September 2023, an elderly resident in Alexandria, Louisiana, saw a “pop-up” message on their computer screen which directed them to call a computer “helpline.” This alleged computer helpline was merely a contact number being operated by one of Patel’s co-conspirators from India. When the victim called this supposed helpline, they were told that criminal activity had been seen on their computer and then transferred them to an alleged special agent working for the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. who would assist them further. However, the victim was not actually communicating with a federal agent but in truth and in fact, it was another of Patel’s co-conspirators 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 fix it would be for the victim to liquidate their bank account, buy gold bullion, and then transfer that gold bullion to another federal agent who would maintain the gold for supposed safe keeping until the “federal investigation” was completed. When in truth and in fact, there was no federal investigation, but this was an online scam to steal money and property from the victim. 

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

Troopers with the Louisiana State Police stopped Patel and he was placed under arrest. Following his arrest, Patel admitted to his part in this scheme and that he had flown to other places across the United States for gold pickups from other elderly victims. Patel further admitted that as he was being stopped by law enforcement officers, he deleted the “WhatsApp Business” application from his cell phone in order to conceal his communications with co-conspirators. The intended loss amount attributed to this fraud scheme was approximately $514,000.

“There is a keen federal interest to protect the elderly and prosecute 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, spanning from India to central Louisiana, that 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 dollars to schemes just like this one last year and those are the people we know about,” said Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil of FBI New Orleans. “The victim in this case did exactly as we ask the public to do. Trust your instincts. Take a break and call law enforcement. These actors are getting bolder and potential victims are putting their lives at risk with these encounters. We ask the public to report any 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 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.  To learn more about the Department of Justice’s elder justice efforts please visit the Elder Justice Initiative page.

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