US: For $2.2 million elder fraud, an Indian citizen was sentenced to 90 months in the

US: An Indian man was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison by a US district court for his involvement in a massive imposter-fraud scheme that targeted senior citizens in five Midwestern states and resulted in losses of more than $2.2 million.

The 38-year-old Ligneshkumar H. Patel entered a guilty plea to two charges of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to conduct financial institution fraud. According to the Department of Justice, the court mandated that he make reparations of more than $2 million.

According to US Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft, “Imposter scams are global conspiracies that frequently use US-based money mules to meet victims in person to take their money.”

Prosecutors said how Patel and his accomplices pretended to be federal or law enforcement officers “to defraud people into giving them money, access to financial accounts or other personal information.” The victims were informed that in order to get “protection,” they had to give up their possessions.

Patel physically visited the homes of at least 11 elderly victims in Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin, according to court documents, and took $2,231,216.99 worth of cash and gold. He was part of “a major conspiracy that included at least 85 additional victims with an intended loss of more than $6.9 million,” according to the prosecution.

According to Matthew J. Scarpino, special agent in charge of HSI Chicago, “this case highlights the serious consequences for individuals who prey on the elderly through sophisticated fraud schemes.”

In the United States, where federal authorities have stepped up efforts to target cross-border schemes often connected to multinational networks, elder fraud charges have increased significantly in recent years.

As authorities in both nations increase their collaboration on investigations into financial and cybercrimes, defendants of Indian ancestry have surfaced in a number of these instances.