An Indian national has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison in a major fraud case targeting senior citizens in the US. The scheme defrauded seniors living in several states of millions of dollars in cash and gold.The United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, John P. Heakin, announced the sentence during a press conference in Gainesville on January 26. The accused has been identified as 23-year-old Atharva Shailesh Sathavane, who was convicted on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to court documents, Sathavane was a key part of an organized fraud ring that intimidated senior citizens into believing that their savings were at risk. Taking advantage of this fear, the fraudsters would extract cash and gold from the elderly.The suspect was arrested while attempting to collect gold from a victim during an undercover operation. The arrest exposed the entire fraud network.
The case was investigated jointly by the Gainesville Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).“The tireless work of our detectives is commendable. We will not tolerate criminals who target the elderly at any cost,” said Gainesville Police Chief Nelson Moya, announcing the sentencing.Federal officials reiterated that they will continue to crack down on elder fraud and urged the public to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement immediately.