Eight people have been arrested as part of the Save our Seniors initiative, a coordinated effort targeting individuals accused of defrauding senior citizens. U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced that these arrests stem from seven separate criminal complaints and involve more than $11 million in actual and attempted losses affecting over 139 victims, many within the Western District of New York.
The defendants face a range of charges including wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, identity theft, and conspiracy. The cases highlight various methods used to target elderly victims such as customer support scams, romance scams, counterfeit checks, retirement account hacking, impersonation of government officials or agencies, and altering postal money orders.
Among those charged is Dhruv Patel of Franklin Park, NJ. He faces multiple counts including wire fraud and money laundering after allegedly attempting to collect $567,000 in gold bars from an elderly woman in the district. Patel is accused of defrauding at least 12 victims out of more than $9 million.
Stephen Odiboh from Stone Mountain, GA is charged with mail and wire fraud after reportedly receiving funds from a romance scam victim in the district and laundering $70,000. Renee Thompson of North Lauderdale, FL allegedly created counterfeit checks totaling nearly $200,000 drawn on companies in the district despite prior warnings about her banking activities.
Christopher Hernandez from North Bergen faces charges related to identity theft and computer fraud after allegedly stealing $175,000 by hacking into a local victim’s retirement account. Two Kent, OH residents—Touhedul Tuhin and Iftekhar Latif Nieon—are accused of collecting tens of thousands from elderly residents through tech support scams while on student visas.
Elias Circle of Rossford, OH allegedly induced an elderly resident to send him approximately $600,000 by pretending to represent a government agency distributing restitution payments. Estermarie Jones from Rochester is charged with multiple offenses for altering postal money orders and using stolen identities to open accounts and conduct fraudulent transactions totaling nearly $190,000.
“These cases should send a loud and clear message that if you prey on the senior citizens of our community, no matter where you are in the country, we will identify, arrest and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” stated U.S. Attorney DiGiacomo. “Too often, many seniors fall victim to these fraudsters who don’t think twice about taking advantage of our parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. It’s important that we all consistently remind the seniors in our lives to reach out to a loved one or friend if they think they could be the victim of a scam.”
Save our Seniors was established as a working group in April 2025 with members from several federal agencies including the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations; Homeland Security Investigations; Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General; Secret Service; New York State Police; Monroe County Sheriff’s Office; Rochester Police Department; Monroe County District Attorney’s Office; Lifespan of Greater Rochester Inc.; as well as state partners such as New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire is prosecuting these cases with assistance from other U.S. Attorney offices across several states.
Authorities advise anyone approached with requests similar to those described—including being asked to withdraw or convert funds into gold bars or gift cards—to cease communications immediately and contact law enforcement or submit complaints online at IC3.gov (https://www.ic3.gov/).
Federal officials emphasize that legitimate employees will never ask individuals for personal financial information over phone or email nor request payments via unconventional means like cryptocurrency or peer-to-peer payment platforms.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
