Indian-origin man sentenced to six years in US fraud case

An Indian-origin man in the US has been sentenced to more than six years in prison for a fraud scheme in which he defrauded more than a million dollars by targeting senior citizens. Pranav Patel, 33, of New Jersey, raised $1.7 million through fraud between October and December 2023.

Pranav Patel pleaded guilty in December last year and on Wednesday a Florida court sentenced him to six years and three months in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering, along with an order to forfeit $1.7 million.

He targeted mostly senior citizens in Florida. He posed as a government official. In some cases, he told the victims that there were warrants for their arrest and that they would have to pay money to have the warrants removed.