Mehulkumar Patel & Chaitali Dave, Money Laundering, Atlanta GA, 2021

ATLANTA – A husband and wife team from Lamar, South Carolina, are paying the price for their role in a sprawling, international fraud scheme that preyed on the elderly and vulnerable. Mehulkumar Manubhai Patel, 36, and Chaitali Dave, 36, have been sentenced for laundering over $500,000 on behalf of phone scammers operating out of India.

The scheme involved convincing victims – many of them elderly – that they were facing legal trouble or needed urgent tech support. Callers impersonated federal agents, threatening arrest and asset forfeiture unless victims immediately sent cash. In other instances, they falsely promised computer repairs in exchange for money. Patel and Dave served as crucial cogs in the operation, receiving and laundering funds sent by unsuspecting victims who believed they were complying with legitimate authorities.

“International call centers continue to victimize the elderly and most vulnerable members of our community,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “The defendants worked with call centers to prey on and steal from these vulnerable victims. This case exists as an example of our commitment to investigating and prosecuting those who facilitate foreign-based scams.” The couple accepted cash mailed to aliases they controlled, effectively cleaning the money before it disappeared into the larger criminal network.

The operation spanned from May 2019 to January 2020, during which Patel and Dave processed over half a million dollars in fraudulently obtained funds. Investigators traced payments from dozens of victims, including residents of Georgia, directly to the couple. The Social Security Administration’s Inspector General, Gail S. Ennis, emphasized the severity of the crimes, stating, “These convictions should stand as a warning that my office will aggressively investigate and work to hold those accountable who collect and transmit money from Social Security imposter scam victims.”

Chaitali Dave was sentenced on April 28, 2021, to one year and eight months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $320,550 in restitution to the victims. Her husband, Mehulkumar Manubhai Patel, received a harsher sentence of two years and six months imprisonment, followed by two years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $259,217 in restitution. The sentences reflect the scale of their involvement in facilitating a heartless scheme.

U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Steven Baisel highlighted the agency’s dedication to combating these types of fraud schemes. “We are duty bound to combat fraud schemes that victimize the public,” Baisel said. “Efforts to purposely target the elderly are particularly heinous.” Officials urge citizens to never provide personal information or money to unknown callers and to report suspicious activity to the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General at https://oig.ssa.gov/.

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