South Boston Man Indicted for Role in Elder Fraud Conspiracy that Defrauded Victim of Nearly $500,000

BOSTON - A South Boston man was indicted by a grand jury in Boston today in connection with a scheme that defrauded a 75-year-old elderly man from Berkshire County, Mass., of approximately $500,000.

Urvishkumar Vipulkumar Patel, 21, was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Patel was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on Oct. 7, 2024. He was subsequently released by the Court on conditions including GPS monitoring and orders that he remain in Massachusetts.

According to the charging documents, beginning in or about February 2024 and continuing until on or about Oct. 7, 2024, Patel and others participated in a scheme to defraud victims.

It is alleged that Patel's co-conspirator contacted the victim by phone, posing as an official from the U.S. Treasury Department named "Sam Wilson." Wilson allegedly told the victim that Treasury documents showed him as being involved in a money laundering scheme and instructed the victim to take out the cash from his bank accounts to send to the Treasury Department for safekeeping. It is further alleged that Wilson directed the victim to place the cash in a taped box with the victim's own name and address written on it and then sent couriers to the victim's home to collect the boxes of cash. Prior to each collection, Wilson allegedly made the victim describe the clothes he would be wearing and provided the victim with a "PIN" passcode the couriers were to recite upon pickup.

It is alleged that on or about Oct. 7, 2024, Patel drove from South Boston to North Adams, Mass., for the purpose of retrieving cash from the victim. On that date, it is alleged that Patel spoke with an individual he believed to be the victim and provided the prearranged passcode, before taking possession of the box of cash and driving away. Patel was immediately apprehended.

The investigation remains ongoing. Members of the public who believe they are victims of a cybercrime - including elder fraud scams, cryptocurrency scams, romance scams, investment scams, and business email compromise fraud scams - should contact [email protected]. To report elder fraud, please visit the FBI's IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center or contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311) Monday - Friday, 10am - 6pm EST.

The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the North Adams Police Department and the Hampden County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Brown of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.