Archive · 22 Jan 2026
Gujarat man pleads guilty to $500,000 wire fraud
A young man from Gujarat, living in the U.S., admitted to a crime where he tricked an elderly couple into giving him $500,000.
He pretended to be a government officer and told them their money was needed for safekeeping.
He even sent people to pick up boxes of cash from their home.
The man was caught when he went to collect the money himself.
He could go to prison for up to 20 years.
This is similar to another case where a 38-year-old Indian man was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for a similar scam.
Urvishkumar Vipulkumar Patel, 23, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
He impersonated a U.S. Treasury Department officer to scam an elderly couple out of $500,000.
The victim was tricked into sending cash in boxes to Patel, who was arrested while collecting the money.
Patel faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
This case is similar to another involving a 38-year-old Indian national who was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for a similar scam.
- Who
- Urvishkumar Vipulkumar Patel, a 23-year-old man of Gujarat origin
- What
- Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud by impersonating a law enforcement officer
- When
- Arrested on October 7, 2024; sentencing scheduled for February 13, 2025
- Where
- South Boston, Massachusetts, and North Adams, Massachusetts
- Why
- To defraud an elderly couple of $500,000 by posing as a U.S. Treasury Department officer
- Defendant
- Urvishkumar Vipulkumar Patel
- Victim
- 75-year-old man from Berkshire County, Massachusetts
- Amount Defrauded
- $500,000
- Crime
- Wire fraud (conspiracy to commit)
- Sentencing Date
- February 13, 2025
- Maximum Sentence
- 20 years in prison, $250,000 fine
- Arrest Date
- October 7, 2024
- Indictment Date
- November 2024