Buckeye Reporter

Kishan Vinayak Patel, a 26-year-old Indian national, has been sentenced to 46 months in prison for his role in a transnational money laundering conspiracy connected to the so-called “phantom hacker” scam. Patel was convicted by a federal jury and is the last of eight defendants prosecuted in this case. Alongside co-defendant Pranay Kumar Mamidi, who received a 60-month sentence, Patel was ordered to pay nearly $4 million in restitution with other conspirators.

The group targeted victims across Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana. The other individuals sentenced include Dileep Kumar Sakineni (72 months), Balaji Rakesh Mulpuri (27 months), Avi Jitendrakumar Patel (33 months), Sai Hruthik Thodeti (24 months), Srinivas Ravi Valluru (60 months), and Hiren Jagdishbhai Patel of Columbus, Ohio (39 months).

“These individuals stopped at nothing to purposely confuse their victims and used scare tactics to bully and coerce them into unknowingly handing over their life savings. This coordinated effort to steal from hardworking Americans is over,” said United States Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio. “To those who take advantage of others—and then launder their money on behalf of transnational criminal organizations—know that your callous actions will have consequences. We thank our partners with FBI Cleveland who conducted the investigation as their role was vital in bringing these individuals to justice.”

“Targeting victims and knowingly siphoning their life savings is reprehensible,” said FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen. “The FBI is focused on defending the homeland and protecting the American public from conniving criminals, such as Kishan Patel and his associates, who preyed on their victims through coercion and scare tactics. The FBI will continue to aggressively identify and investigate those who engage in money laundering schemes, whether domestically or globally, with an intent to harm Americans.”

According to court documents, between May and November 2023 the defendants operated a complex scheme where fraudsters posed as bank employees or law enforcement officials convincing mostly elderly victims that their accounts were compromised or linked to criminal activity. Victims were manipulated into transferring funds under false pretenses for safekeeping but instead sent money directly into the hands of conspirators.

In one scenario described by investigators, elderly targets were told there was suspicious activity on their Amazon account before being passed between impostors claiming affiliations with agencies like the U.S. Federal Trade Commission or Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Victims would be threatened with arrest or seizure unless they handed over cash or gold bars at specified locations; they would then receive fake receipts purporting to be from government agencies.

Investigators determined that these U.S.-based defendants laundered funds for global accomplices running phantom hacker scams primarily out of India. The total amount laundered is estimated at tens of millions of dollars.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Cleveland Division and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert Melching and Dexter L. Phillips for the Northern District of Ohio.

This prosecution falls under efforts related to the Elder Justice Initiative Program stemming from the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act of 2017 (EAPPA). The initiative aims to coordinate Department of Justice activities against elder abuse—including financial fraud targeting seniors.

If fraudulent conduct involving an older adult is suspected, authorities encourage contacting the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 or visiting IC3.gov for reporting.