STUART, Fla. (CBS12) — They say criminals often return to the scene of the crime. That may have been the downfall for Satish Kumar, a California man accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a victim in Martin County.
On Thursday, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) arrested Kumar following a sting operation carried out just a day after he allegedly took $80,000 in cash from a Stuart man. This time, the authorities turned the tables on him.
The scam began the previous Friday when the victim encountered a pop-up on his computer, allegedly from Microsoft, instructing him to call a number that led him to a fake Federal Trade Commission agent.
“The second they pulled him in, they pulled at the heartstrings,” said MCSO Detective Michael Deacetis. “They made it so believable. They’re very good at what they do.”
Over several days, the scammer convinced the victim to withdraw $80,000 from three Chase Banks in Martin County. He was told his money had been compromised and that the scammers would hold it for safekeeping.
The victim was instructed to pack the cash in a taped-up bag, which he chose to place inside a reusable Aldi bag. After preparing the money, he met with a person who he believed was a treasury agent. The scammer provided a four-digit PIN to prove his identity and took the bag of cash before driving away.
That night, the victim couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong. Upon further investigation, he realized the badge number provided by the so-called agent was fake.
The following day, the victim reported the theft to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. While recounting the events, he mentioned the scammer was attempting to convince him to withdraw even more money from a bank. However, instead of complying, the victim went to the sheriff’s office, setting the stage for a sting operation.
“We decided to do a ‘control phone call’ where we had the victim role-play as though they were still falling for the scam,” said Detective Deacetis.
The victim, working with investigators, went to one of the banks where, with the staff in on the plan, he pretended to withdraw $10,000 in cash. But the scammer demanded more. The victim then visited two other banks, pulling out $10,000 from each, while law enforcement stayed hidden.
Once again, the victim packed the money in an Aldi bag, as he did the day before. When he met with the supposed treasury agent, deputies were ready. They followed the man’s car for several blocks before pulling it over.
Behind the wheel was Kumar, with two Aldi bags in the passenger seat. According to the affidavit, Kumar initially claimed he had traveled from Orlando to Martin County, but couldn’t explain why. He was arrested immediately.
Deputies soon discovered one of the Aldi bags contained the fake $30,000, but the $80,000 was missing from the second bag. Kumar allegedly admitted to traveling to Stuart to meet a man who would give him money, with the promise of a portion in exchange for delivering it to another individual. He claimed to have been paid $1,600 for his role, though he also mentioned a $5,000 deposit, which he insisted was unrelated.
Kumar allegedly lied several times during questioning, changing his story. He claimed he didn’t know the identities of the other participants, saying they were in India and contacted him via WhatsApp.
Kumar has been booked into the Martin County Jail on charges of scheming to defraud more than $50,000 and two counts of grand theft involving sums between $20,000 and $99,000.