A Tampa man was recently sentenced in federal court for his part in elder fraud schemes.
Jaykumar Patel, 33, was sentenced to 72 months in prison and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine for his part in a bank fraud conspiracy, according to a Jan. 6 U.S. Department of Justice news release. Patel was sentenced for only one scheme, involving a victim in Alton, Ill., but he picked up almost half a million dollars in only a few weeks in 2021.
"Those who prey on the most susceptible victims through these kind of scare tactics and phone scams must be punished to the full extent of the law," U.S. Attorney for Illinois' Southern District Rachelle Aud Crowe said. "Defendants both in the United States and overseas need to know that we will protect and defend vulnerable Americans."
Patel's part in the scheme was to live in Florida and pick up criminal proceeds for an India-based fraud conspiracy that targeted elderly, vulnerable victims in the U.S., according to the news release.
In June 2021, the Alton Police reported a woman received a phone call claiming to be from law enforcement and warning she was a victim of identify theft. The caller demanded she send $29,000 to a Florida address as a way to rectify the situation, the release reported. The caller's story was false, and Patel was arrested a few days later when he arrive to pick up the package with the money.
Further investigation revealed the fraud committed against the Alton victim was only "a small part of the criminal scheme," the news release said.
"There were several other victims across the United States who were bullied and frightened out of their hard-earned money," the news release said. "In just a few weeks in 2021, Mr. Patel picked up or intended to pick up packages sent by victims containing more than $481,000."
Would-be victims should be away that no legitimate law enforcement officer ever would demand money, according to the news release.
"Elder fraud is a growing problem as the country's population gets older," Special Agent in Charge David Nanz said in the news release. "Illinois ranks ninth highest in total number of victims over age 60, according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center 2021 Elder Fraud Report. The FBI takes elder fraud very seriously and, along with our law enforcement partners, will work to hold accountable those who take advantage of the isolation and vulnerability that often surrounds the elderly."
