Indian national pleads guilty in elderly fraud scheme while in prison

HOUSTON - A 32-year-old Indian national has admitted to conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

Sumit Kumar Singh admitted he participated in the scheme while serving a federal sentence for a previous mail fraud conviction involving elderly victims.

In 2025, Singh obtained a contraband cell phone while incarcerated and used it to communicate with others involved in the mail fraud and money laundering conspiracy targeting elderly victims.

As part of the scheme, fraudsters posed as PayPal representatives or federal government agents and falsely told victims they needed to send money that would later be returned to them.

One victim, a 93-year-old North Dakota woman, was instructed to mail a $45,000 check after being falsely told Attorney General Pam Bondi would help her obtain a new identification card and return her money.

From inside federal prison, Singh used the contraband phone to send messages to a phone number in India, including a photo of a bank receipt showing the victim's check had been deposited in Edinburg.

U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. accepted the plea and set sentencing for Dec. 21. At that time, Singh faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

He has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Belinda Beek is prosecuting the case with valuable assistance from AUSAs Whitney Ohlausen and Lesley Brooks in the Northern District of Texas.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division which is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department's work to combat fraud supports President Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within federal benefit programs.