Kishan Rajeshkumar Patel, International Money Laundering, Texas 2024

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Kishan Rajeshkumar Patel, 20, Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison for International Money Laundering in Texas

AUSTIN, Texas – In a case that highlights the vulnerability of elderly Americans to online scams, a 20-year-old Indian national was sentenced to 63 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to commit international money laundering.

Kishan Rajeshkumar Patel, of Navsari, Gujarat, was living in the U.S. on a student visa when he conspired with co-defendant Dhruv Rajeshbhai Mangukiya and others to defraud elderly victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold from July 2024 through August 2024.

The conspiracy used various online phishing methods and impersonated U.S. government officials, while Patel fraudulently received the cash and gold from victims, conveying a portion to co-conspirators and keeping a percentage for his own benefit. To date, the investigation has determined that the conspiracy defrauded at least 25 victims with a total intended loss of at least $2,694,156.

Patel was arrested by the Granite Shoals Police Department on Aug. 24, 2024, after he retrieved a box represented to contain $130,000 from a victim’s residence. He was transferred into federal custody on Aug. 29 and pleaded guilty on March 18.

The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman.

“This defendant took advantage of his visa status in our country and participated in an international fraud scheme,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Patel defrauded vulnerable American citizens out of millions of dollars by impersonating government officials and preying on his victims’ fears of adverse government action. Today’s sentence demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to prosecuting the perpetrators of such nefarious schemes and achieving justice for the victims.”

The FBI investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Henneke prosecuted the case. Mangukiya pleaded guilty June 16 and awaits his sentence hearing.