Jun. 14—CALEDONIA, Minn. — A Houston County man is out around $735,000 after he was scammed by an organization based out of India and an Illinois man accused of helping the organization is facing a felony theft count, according to new charges filed in Houston County District Court.
Dineshkumar Raojibhai Patel, 59, appeared before District Judge Carmaine Sturino Monday, June 12, 2023, for a charge of attempted theft by swindle, a felony.
He was ordered released on a $5,000 bail provided he have no contact with the victim or his family and surrender his passport. Patel posted bail the same day.
According to the criminal complaint:
An investigation by the Department of Homeland Security found that a Houston County man and been targeted several times by an India-based organization that convinces elderly people to package cash in parcels and either mail the parcels or deliver them to a money mule, someone that brings money back and forth to a criminal enterprise.
The Houston County Sheriff's Office was notified by DHS May 5, 2023, and began investigating the case. The victim, who was initially hesitant to speak to law enforcement, said he was contacted by a scammer who claimed to be a U.S. Customs Agent on Dec. 7, 2022.
The man was told that his information was tied to an illicit package and that a federal warrant would be issued for his arrest if he did not cooperate. The man was told an agent from the Federal Trade Commission would be in contact to advise him on how to fix the issue.
The alleged agent convinced the man to give packages of cash to other alleged agents, referred to as money mules in the complaint, nine different times since March 24, 2023. The money mules and the vehicles they used were different for each pick-up.
The man told law enforcement that he paid the scammers about $735,000 to keep himself out of jail.
Local law enforcement assisted DHS agents in a sting operation on June 8, 2023, where the scammers were told there would be a pick-up of $75,000.
The victim, who had $75,000 of fake money given to him by law enforcement, was on the phone with the scammer during the pick-up when Patel approached the location in a vehicle with an Illinois license plate.
After the cash hand off and while Patel was counting the money, law enforcement approached the vehicle and arrested him.