Indian national sentenced to federal prison for scamming elderly residents

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - A district judge sentenced an Indian national to 90 months in federal prison for his involvement in an imposter scheme to defraud 11 identified victims, including elderly residents from Edwardsville and Effingham, Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri.

Ligneshkumar H. Patel, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and financial institution fraud and two counts of wire fraud. The judge ordered him to pay more than $2 million in restitution.

"Imposter scams are international conspiracies often using U.S.-based money mules to meet victims in person to take their money," said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. "The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecutes these fraudsters aggressively, and anyone who targets elderly victims will face certain justice."

An imposter scam occurs when a scammer lies to victims and impersonates law enforcement or a federal official to defraud people into giving them money, access to financial accounts or other personal information. In this case, Patel's conspirators convinced the victims they needed to hand over their assets for protection.

According to court documents, Patel drove to the residences of at least 11 elderly victims in five states to steal their assets totaling $2,231,216.99. Patel worked within a major conspiracy that included at least 85 additional victims with an intended loss of more than $6.9 million.

"This case highlights the serious consequences for individuals who prey on the elderly through sophisticated fraud schemes," said Matthew J. Scarpino, special agent in charge of HSI Chicago. "HSI remains dedicated to protecting our communities from financial crimes and ensuring that those responsible are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Patel acted as a courier or "money mule," and admitted to picking up money and gold from victims in Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin to fuel the conspiracy.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Edwardsville Police Department contributed to the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Reed prosecuted the case.