WICHITA, Kan. — Federal prosecutors have charged two Texas men for their alleged roles in a sophisticated scam that defrauded an elderly Sedgwick County woman of $255,000.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas, Venkateswara Reddy Chagamreddy, 27, and Sai Praveen Kommana, 29, have each been indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and interference with commerce by threat.
The scheme began in May when an 84-year-old woman received a phone call from someone claiming to be an FBI agent. The caller falsely told her that her Social Security number had been stolen and was being used in fraudulent banking activities.
Authorities say the caller pressured the woman into converting her assets into gold, claiming it was necessary to protect her finances during the investigation. She was instructed to hand over the gold in three separate transactions to individuals she believed were undercover FBI agents.
After discovering that the woman’s assets had been completely depleted, her family contacted the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office. The case was later referred to the FBI, which launched an investigation.
One of the suspects was arrested in September following a sting operation.
Federal officials emphasized that the FBI does not contact individuals to demand money, threaten arrest, or request sensitive personal information, urging the public to remain vigilant against similar scams.
