Jaspreet Singh, Wire Fraud, New York 2023

BUFFALO, N.Y. – In a shocking case of elder exploitation, a New Jersey man has pleaded guilty to his role in a sophisticated wire fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims in Western New York.

Jaspreet Singh, 29, of New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000.

The scheme, which began in July 2023, involved Singh and his co-conspirators contacting victims by telephone, falsely impersonating government officials such as the United States Marshals Service, the Federal Trade Commission, or other federal agencies.

Victims, some of whom were elderly, were told that illicit activity was conducted using their personal information, and in order to ‘clear’ their name, and prevent law enforcement from arresting or prosecuting them, they had to pay money via wire transactions, gift cards, gold, and/or cash to the government.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Franz M. Wright, who is handling the case, the scheme was particularly brazen, with victims being instructed to wire money from their bank accounts to various other bank accounts located around the United States, while other victims were instructed to withdraw cash from their bank accounts and deliver the ‘payment’ to a ‘government courier’ who was in fact, an active member of the conspiracy.

On July 25, 2023, Singh traveled from New Jersey to Orchard Park, NY, where he was instructed to collect several U.S. Postal Service packages containing gold bars from a 76-year-old victim identified as ‘W.D.’

Later that day, Singh was stopped by the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office for speeding, and during his interaction with law enforcement, he provided conflicting stories about why he was in the area and why he was heading back to New Jersey.

Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.

The case is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Scarpino.

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