Sharvil Patel Sentenced to Over Seven Years for Call Center Scam

Tampa’s Sharvil Patel has been handed a seven-year and six-month sentence for his role in an India-based call center scam that defrauded American taxpayers.

The U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington also ordered Patel to pay $80,000 as part of the judgment entered against him. Patel, 23, had pleaded guilty on February 6, 2019, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Patel and his coconspirators targeted U.S. residents, posing as IRS officers and demanding immediate payment of supposed back taxes under threat of arrest. The scheme involved cash withdrawals from prepaid cards, money retrieval by runners, and bank account openings to deposit the stolen funds.

Four others have already been sentenced for their parts in the scam: Alejandro Juarez received 15 months, Nishitkumar Patel eight years and nine months, Hemalkumar Shah eight years and six months, and Brenda Dozier 21 months.

Special Agent Mary Hammond of IRS Criminal Investigations Tampa Field Office expressed anger at the fraud’s impact on innocent people, highlighting the agency’s dedication to collaborating with law enforcement to bring impersonators to justice.

FDLE’s Mark Brutnell echoed this sentiment, thanking investigators for ending the scam and ensuring that those responsible would no longer be able to deceive others. J. Russell George of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration emphasized the seriousness of the crime and vowed continued efforts to prosecute such scammers.