Three suspects have been arrested in Sonoma County for a phone scam that nearly stole $70,000 in gold and attempted to defraud a victim out of more than $450,000 in total, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators say the scheme began when a scammer posing as a government agent convinced a local man that his bank accounts had been compromised. The victim was told to hand over cash and gold for “safekeeping,” a tactic commonly used in government impersonation scams.
Earlier this week, the scammers contacted the victim again and arranged for a courier to pick up another delivery of gold. Sonoma County detectives followed that courier to Fremont, where they identified three suspects: Keyur Chodvadiya, Kuldip Choudhary, and Mohammed Essa.
One of the suspects was arrested at a FedEx office while attempting to ship the stolen gold to another state. All three were later transported back to Sonoma County.
The trio now faces multiple charges, including grand theft, theft by false pretenses, conspiracy, possession of stolen property, and elder abuse. A judge approved a $300,000 bail enhancement due to the severity of the crime.
The investigation remains ongoing.
