NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Austin, TX, June 19, 2025: Kishan Rajeshkumar Patel, a 20-year-old Indian national who entered the United States on a student visa, has been sentenced to 63 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman handed down the sentence on June 18, 2025, in the Western District of Texas. Patel had entered a guilty plea on March 18, 2025.
According to court documents, Patel was part of an international fraud and money laundering network that targeted elderly Americans. Members of the scheme allegedly posed as U.S. government officials to coerce victims into handing over cash and gold under false pretenses. Between July and August 2024, at least 25 victims were defrauded of approximately $2.69 million.
Patel, originally from Navsari, Gujarat, was arrested in Texas in August 2024 and later indicted on federal charges including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Prosecutors stated that Patel and others laundered the fraudulent proceeds through various methods. One of Patel’s co-conspirators, Dhruv Rajeshbhai Mangukiya, also pleaded guilty earlier this week and is awaiting sentencing.
The case is part of a broader federal investigation into a network of fraudsters who exploited vulnerable individuals, particularly the elderly, across the United States. Other defendants in similar cases have received sentences ranging from several years to nearly a decade.
No additional details about Patel’s immigration status following his prison term have been released.
