A federal judge in Texas has sentenced an Indian national living in the U.S. on a student visa to over eight years in prison for his involvement in a financial scam aimed at senior citizens.
This week, 21-year-old Dhruv Rajeshbhai Mangukiya faced a federal judge in Austin and received a 97-month prison sentence for conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was initially apprehended at his New Jersey residence and charged with various counts of fraud and money laundering related to the scheme. In June, he opted to plead guilty as part of a plea agreement.
Information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office indicates that Mangukiya and his accomplices employed online phishing techniques to identify and target victims, impersonating Amazon Fraud or U.S. law enforcement agents and claiming that the individuals were under investigation for fraud. As part of the con, they directed victims to make payments through wire transfers, cash deposits, or even gold and other valuables. In some instances, they arranged for a courier to collect these items.
One specific incident involved convincing a victim that his identity had been stolen and used to open multiple bank accounts linked to cartel activities. This scheme led victims to pay around $180,000 in various sums to the fraudulent agents. In another case, an elderly woman in Fort Worth was deceived into paying $30,000.
According to federal prosecutors, the courier involved is an Indian man named Kishan Rajeshkumar Patel, who is currently serving over five years in prison for his part in the scheme. Authorities also mentioned two other members as the primary architects of the operation, although their names remain undisclosed in court records.
