Eight individuals from across the U.S. have been arrested and charged with defrauding or attempting to defraud 139 elderly victims of over $11 million, using a range of scams including romance fraud, fake customer support, gold bar schemes, identity theft, and counterfeit checks.
The defendants, from New Jersey, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, and New York, operated largely independent schemes but all targeted at least one senior in the Western District of New York. The arrests were announced by U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo and stem from a multi-agency operation led by “Save Our Seniors,” a task force created in April to fight elder fraud.
Charges across the seven criminal complaints include wire fraud, mail fraud, identity theft, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit these offenses. Potential sentences range from 15 to 30 years.
Among the defendants:
Dhruv Patel, 34, of Franklin Park, NJ, allegedly defrauded at least 12 victims of $9.1 million and attempted to collect $567,000 in gold bars from a victim in Western New York.
Stephen Odiboh, 53, of Georgia, allegedly received $70,000 from a romance scam that cost the victim $175,000.
Renee Thompson, 52, of Florida, is accused of creating 17 counterfeit checks totaling nearly $200,000.
Christopher Hernandez, 29, of NJ, is charged with identity theft and computer fraud.
Touhedul Tuhin, 24, and Iftekhar Latif Nieon, 23, both of Ohio, face wire fraud and money laundering charges.
Elias Circle, 23, also of Ohio, is accused of involvement in both mail and wire fraud.
Estermarie Jones, 35, of Rochester, faces numerous charges including identity document fraud, bank fraud, and altering postal money orders.
Officials emphasized that elder fraud remains a growing threat and encouraged vigilance. Red flags include requests for money, urgent emergencies, requests for payment in crypto, gold, or gift cards, and sudden romantic interests online.
Victims are urged to preserve all communications and file reports via the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
The case was investigated by multiple federal and state agencies, including the FBI, IRS, SSA, Secret Service, Homeland Security, and several New York law enforcement divisions.
