texas man Sentenced to Nearly Eight Years for Role in Elder Fraud Scheme
AUSTIN, texas – A federal court in Austin has sentenced Dhruv Rajeshbhai Mangukiya, 21, to 97 months in prison and ordered him to pay $2,515,780 in restitution for his involvement in a elegant fraud targeting elderly individuals.
Court records detail a scheme where victims were defrauded of substantial sums of money and gold through online phishing and impersonation tactics. Mangukiya, who entered the U.S. on a student visa, acted as a key participant, receiving and distributing illicit funds obtained from the victims.
The operation preyed on vulnerable seniors, initially contacting them with false alerts regarding potential fraudulent activity on their accounts. Conspirators then posed as representatives from government agencies, like the U.S. Treasury Department, falsely claiming victims needed to deposit cash, gold, or other valuables to resolve investigations or prevent financial loss. Couriers were used to collect these deposits from victims’ homes or designated meeting locations.
One victim in Granite Shoals was convinced by a conspirator that their identity had been compromised and linked to drug cartels, requiring a $180,000 cash transfer over three separate occasions to “resolve” the issue. Similarly, a Fort Worth woman was misled by someone claiming to be from Amazon’s fraud department, leading her to hand over $30,000 to a courier identified as Kishan Rajeshkumar Patel.
Investigators uncovered communications between Mangukiya, Patel, and two other individuals known as “Hunter” and ”Master” through searches of Patel’s phone. Mangukiya was apprehended in New Jersey on December 5, 2024, where authorities discovered a printer used to create fraudulent identification documents and over $73,000 in cash. He admitted to receiving 2% of the fraudulent proceeds and to recruiting Patel as a courier.
Both Mangukiya and Patel were indicted on December 3, 2024. Patel previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on March 18 and was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison on June 17. Mangukiya pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering on June 16.
U.S.Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced the sentencing. The FBI led the examination, with valuable assistance from the Granite Shoals Police Department and the Fort Worth Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Henneke prosecuted the case.
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