TAMPA, FL — A 33-year-old New Jersey man, Pranav Patel, was sentenced to six years in federal prison on Tuesday for his role as a “money mule” in a nationwide fraud scheme that stole nearly $1.8 million from elderly victims, including two Tampa Bay women.
Patel, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, was involved in the delivery of cash and gold collected from fraud victims who were duped into thinking they were under investigation by federal agencies.
“Evil and Wicked” Scheme
U.S. District Judge William Jung condemned the operation as “evil and wicked,” saying it preyed on fear, especially among older adults. “It’s pretty much the same thing as going in their house and sticking a gun in their temple,” Jung said.
Though the sentencing guidelines suggested only three years, Jung doubled the term to send a message to those running the scam from abroad. “You’re hiding in some boiler room,” he said, “but some of your minions are getting a serious, big sentence.”
Tampa Women Among Victims
Two local women were among the 11 victims across seven states. One woman, identified as “E.L.”, lost $170,000, and another, “D.L.”, from Pasco County, was defrauded of $732,000.
Victims were contacted by scammers posing as U.S. Treasury officials, told they faced arrest, and instructed to leave large sums of cash and gold in their driveways or public drop locations. Patel acted as the courier who picked up and delivered the packages.
His final pickup was at a Ruskin Circle K, where undercover agents substituted a package of soap for $27,000 in gold. He was arrested in the Wiregrass mall parking lot in Wesley Chapel after opening the package.
Desperate Circumstances, Limited Role
Patel, who immigrated to the U.S. in 2018 from India and struggled to find stable work due to language barriers, reportedly earned just $6,000 for assisting in laundering over $1.5 million. He received instructions via WhatsApp, never met his handlers, and was reimbursed for airfare and car rentals.
His attorney described him as depressed and vulnerable, a recent immigrant who was easily manipulated. Despite knowing the money was “bad,” Patel claimed ignorance of the scam’s scale and its devastating impact on victims.
“I Feel Very Sorry and Bad”
In court, Patel, wearing an orange jail uniform, spoke through a Gujarati interpreter and said he came to America for a better life.
“I feel very sorry and bad … that the best years of my life I spent this way,” he said. “I wish I could apologize to the victims.”
Judge Jung made clear that while Patel didn’t orchestrate the fraud, he played a critical role. “You were a vital part of the scheme,” Jung said, “which was just about as cold and nasty of a scheme as I’ve ever seen.”
