Two Indian-origin men have been arrested in the United States on federal money laundering charges following an investigation into a large scam operation that targeted victims across several states, authorities said.
Tejas Patel and Navya Bhatt are facing three counts of money laundering each, according to the Cleveland1. This comes after federal agents uncovered their alleged role in a series of scams that defrauded people of hundreds of thousands of dollars in Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
According to investigators, the scams included PayPal fraud, fake Microsoft computer repair schemes and Bitcoin-related cons. Victims were instructed to make payments in unusual forms, including gold bars, cryptocurrency, and large amounts of cash.
Court documents detail how one woman in Toledo was deceived into handing over more than $40,000 in cash after the suspects falsely claimed they were representatives of the Federal Trade Commission.
Federal authorities said the money laundering operation was tied to a bigger network involved in moving and concealing funds obtained through fraud.
The investigation was led by the FBI’s Cleveland Division Cyber Squad, which focuses on computer-related and financial crimes.
According to a criminal complaint note, Bhatt is a student at the University of Toledo. Both men appeared in federal court on Friday, where they waived their preliminary hearings.
Patel is scheduled to return to court on February 6 for a detention hearing. Bhatt is currently under an ICE detainer and has not yet been given another court date.
Other suspects, who had already been arrested before the court received the affidavit, were also named in the complaint as being part of the scheme. Vedantkumar Patel and Visweswarayya Kunuku were said to have worked as couriers.
