FBI Takes Down Swindlers in Fake Sweepstakes, Gold and Cash Schemes
In this week’s Takedown, federal law enforcement is busting various schemes that are swindling elderly Americans out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
First, a Jamaican man is accused of bilking a Washington State woman out of $800,000 by telling her she won a $22 million prize from Publishers Clearing House.
Prosecutors say Roshard Andrew Carty contacted the 73-year-old victim in 2020 and began a four-year correspondence. Over those years, Carty allegedly convinced the victim to send him $800,000 in taxes, fees, and other costs to claim a $22 million prize from Publishers Clearing House telling her the FBI was monitoring their calls.
Court documents say that Carty’s requests for cash started small and grew over time. It eventually led to the victim selling her home to cover “costs and fees.” Carty was allegedly “relentless” in contacting the victim, using various phone numbers, and sending in pizza deliveries and tow trucks when she tried to cut off contact.
Carty was extradited to the U.S. from Jamaica and faces trial in December.
The FBI led the investigation.
Cash and Gold Swindled
In the Western District of Texas, a 21-year-old Indian man was sentenced to more than 8 years in federal prison, for defrauding elderly individuals out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold.
Prosecutors say 21-year-old Dhruv Rajeshbhai Mangukiya, who was in the United States on a student visa, ran a scheme with co-conspirators that swindled victims.
Prosecutors say the group identified vulnerable individuals through phishing methods and falsely notified them about a possible fraudulent charge on a credit card or another type of account. The suspects would then contact the victim by phone, falsely claiming to be a U.S. government official and demanding payment to resolve the investigation or prevent a financial loss. A courier would coordinate the pickup of the deposits, either at the victim’s home or in the parking lot of a local business.
In one case, a victim in Granite Shoals, Texas, was told to withdraw funds and send them to the U.S. Treasury to avoid prosecution. Prosecutors say the conspirator convinced the victim his identity was stolen and that accounts were set up linking him to drug cartels and that he could face money laundering charges. The victim ended up transferring $180,000 to the conspirators.
Mangukiya pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was also ordered to pay more than $2.5 million in restitution.
A co-conspirator, Kishan Rajeshkumar Patel, was sentenced to more than five years in prison in June.
The FBI investigated the case with assistance from Texas local police.