Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
An Indianapolis man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for his role in a scheme that defrauded elderly victims across the United States. U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler handed down the sentence to Abdul Waheed Mohammed, 33, following his conviction on a charge of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud.
In addition to the prison term, Mohammed will serve three years of supervised release and must pay a $100 special assessment and $163,000 in restitution.
Mohammed was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2024 and found guilty after a three-day trial in October 2025. Prosecutors described how, beginning in September 2023, Mohammed and several co-conspirators—including Shalinee Vyas—carried out scams targeting elderly individuals. The group falsely told victims they had committed crimes or that their bank accounts had been hacked.
In one instance, scammers contacted an elderly victim in Rapid City claiming to be law enforcement officers. They told her she would be arrested unless she followed their instructions, which included handing over cash and gold. Over the course of a week, the victim lost more than $100,000 when conspirators collected money directly from her home.
Friends of the victim noticed changes in her behavior and helped uncover the scam. When law enforcement learned another $95,000 in gold was scheduled for pick-up, they conducted an operation that led to Mohammed’s arrest as he arrived at the victim’s residence. Authorities later found messages on Mohammed’s phone from Vyas directing him to various locations nationwide to collect funds from other elderly victims.
“This defendant and his ring of thieves systematically preyed upon the elderly and vulnerable to rob them of their life savings and hard-earned retirement funds,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “It really takes a special kind of rotten to make a living scaring, threatening, stealing from, and impoverishing our senior citizens in what are supposed to be their golden years. I’m so proud of these law enforcement officers for catching these criminals and holding them accountable.”
The case was investigated by multiple agencies including the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Department of Homeland Security, and Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Following sentencing, Mohammed was remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Authorities advise anyone who suspects similar fraudulent activity not to send further money; instead retain communications or receipts as evidence and contact local police or submit complaints online at IC3.gov.
They also remind citizens that legitimate federal employees will never instruct individuals to withdraw money from bank accounts; convert assets into gold or cryptocurrency; meet at private locations for cash transfers; request wire transfers or payments via peer-to-peer apps; ask for gift cards; seek remote access to computers or sensitive information over phone or email; or demand social security numbers or banking details through such means.
