TAMPA, Fla. (Diya TV) — A New Jersey man has been sentenced to more than six years in federal prison for his role in a nationwide elder fraud scheme that targeted vulnerable seniors and stole nearly $1.8 million.
Pranav Patel, 33, acted as a “money mule,” collecting packages of cash and gold from elderly victims who were misled into believing they were helping government authorities.
U.S. District Judge William Jung handed down the sentence, describing the crime as “evil and wicked.”
The scam began in late 2023, when callers from overseas—believed to be working in Indian call centers—pretended to be agents from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. They told victims they were under investigation for crimes like money laundering and tax evasion.
Some were threatened with arrest if they did not comply. Others were told to hand over their life savings for “safekeeping.”Many believed the lies. In court, one victim said he had to sell his home and rely solely on Social Security to survive after losing $49,000.
Federal prosecutors said the scam affected 11 victims in seven states. Two of the biggest losses came from women in Florida’s Tampa Bay area. One woman lost $170,000, while another gave up $732,000 in cash and gold bars.
Patel’s role in the fraud was to pick up and deliver the stolen funds. He traveled from New Jersey to Florida and other East Coast locations between October and December 2023. He received instructions via WhatsApp from people he never met.
During each pickup, someone placed the package in his vehicle. He then drove it to a new location as directed.Despite helping launder over $1.7 million, Patel was paid just $6,000. He later told the court he knew the money was suspicious but didn’t understand the full scope of the crime.
Judge Jung said Patel’s actions caused deep emotional harm. “You were a vital part of the scheme,” he told Patel. “It was just about as cold and nasty of a scheme as I’ve ever seen.”
Law enforcement caught Patel during a sting operation in December 2023.
A woman identified in court records as “E.L” had agreed to deliver $27,000 in gold at a Circle K gas station in Ruskin, Florida. Secret Service agents swapped the gold for a box of soap and watched as she placed it in a red Jeep.
Deputies followed the vehicle to a mall parking lot in Wesley Chapel, where Patel opened the package. Authorities arrested him on the spot.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Peresie said Patel was part of a “despicable” crime ring. “Preying on vulnerable, unsuspecting elderly victims to rob them of their hard-earned money is despicable,” she said. Although Patel played a small part in the larger operation, Judge Jung imposed a harsher sentence than federal guidelines suggested. He said the sentence was meant to send a message to others involved.
“You’re hiding in some boiler room,” Jung said, referring to the masterminds behind the scam. “But some of your minions are getting a serious, big sentence.” Patel, originally from India, came to the United States in 2018 with his family. He holds a mechanical engineering degree and once enrolled in a master’s program at Marshall University but dropped out due to language barriers.
He worked briefly as a cashier, software engineer, and soil inspector before falling into financial and emotional hardship. His attorney said he became a money mule out of desperation.
Patel pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in December 2024. Along with his prison sentence of six years and three months, the court ordered him to forfeit $1,791,301—the total amount laundered during the scheme.
So far, no other arrests have been made. Authorities believe the masterminds of the scheme remain overseas.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer L. Peresie and Maria Guzman.
