The Southern District of Texas has sentenced Hardik Jayantilal Patel, a key figure in a fraud scheme targeting the elderly, to 46 months in federal prison. Patel, 37, resided illegally in Lexington, Kentucky, and had pleaded guilty in December 2023. He will also face three years of supervised release and is required to pay $3,203,478 in restitution to 85 victims.
U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen underscored the harm caused to a large number of victims during the sentencing. Post-sentencing, as Patel is not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to undergo removal proceedings.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei emphasized, "We have an obligation to protect our seniors from the predations of scammers. SDTX will tirelessly pursue those that seek to profit by swindling the elderly."
Between March and November 2019, Patel led a group of "runners" who laundered money from telemarketing fraud originating from Indian call centers. These scams often involved impersonating U.S. government officials and persuading elderly victims to send cash by mail to clear their name from investigations.
Patel collaborated with Sohil Usmangani Vahora, who managed another team of runners. Their coordinated operations gathered millions in fraud proceeds from victims across multiple states. Vahora has been sentenced to over 15 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution exceeding $3.5 million.
Other individuals involved, such as Zaheen Malvi and Dhirenkumar Patel, received sentences and were also ordered to repay their victims. Three additional runners received varying sentences from 29 to 60 months.
In excepting Vahora, a legal resident, the conspirators were in the U.S. illegally at the time of their crimes. Patel awaits transfer to a designated Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
The investigation was conducted by several agencies, including the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations. The FBI, Kentucky State Police, and local police departments also assisted. The case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Bauman and Kate Suh.
SSA and its OIG continue to warn the public to be cautious of such scams.