An illegal alien in Kentucky has been sentenced to federal prison for his involvement as the second ringleader in an international fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims across the nation, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX).
Hardik Jayantilal Patel, 37, who illegally resided in Lexington, Kentucky, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen to 46 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Patel pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme on December 1, 2023.
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In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Hanen ordered Patel to pay a total of $3,203,478 in restitution to 85 identified victims. The judge emphasized the significant harm caused to a large number of individuals by Patel and his co-conspirators. As Patel is not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence.
“We have an obligation to protect our seniors from the predations of scammers,” stated U.S. Attorney Ganjei. “SDTX will tirelessly pursue those that seek to profit by swindling the elderly.”
According to court documents, between March and November 2019, Patel orchestrated a network of domestic money mules, also known as “runners,” to launder funds originating from telemarketing fraud schemes operating out of call centers in India. The vast majority of victims targeted in these schemes were elderly individuals.
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The fraudulent scheme involved scammers impersonating U.S. government officials who falsely claimed that the victims were under investigation. The victims were then coerced into sending cash through the mail as the only means to clear their names. These packages were then intercepted by runners in the United States, who laundered the illicit proceeds.
During 2019, Patel supervised at least three runners. He also collaborated closely with Sohil Usmangani Vahora, an associate who managed his own team of four runners. Together, Patel and Vahora coordinated their efforts to launder the money obtained through fraud.
The runners operating under both Patel and Vahora collected hundreds of packages containing millions of dollars in cash sent by victims across multiple states between 2019 and 2020.
Patel’s sentencing marks the conclusion of related cases in the SDTX, with him being the last of seven individuals to be sentenced. Vahora, 40, of Des Plaines, Illinois, received the lengthiest sentence of over 15 years in prison and was ordered to pay more than $3.5 million in restitution.
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Zaheen Malvi, 30, of Heber Springs, Arkansas, who initially worked as a runner before assisting Vahora in managing other individuals involved, was sentenced to 54 months in prison and ordered to pay over $1.6 million in restitution.
Dhirenkumar Patel, 33, also residing in Richmond, Kentucky, who acted as a runner under Hardik Patel, received an 18-month prison sentence and was ordered to pay $225,221 in restitution to his victims.
The remaining three runners involved in the scheme received sentences ranging from 29 to 60 months.
Authorities noted that with the exception of Vahora, who was a legal permanent resident, Hardik Patel and his co-conspirators were all residing in the country illegally at the time they committed these crimes.
Patel will remain in custody pending his transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility, which will be determined in the near future.
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