NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Austin, TX, November 16, 2025: Twenty-one-year-old Dhruv Rajeshbhai Mangukiya, an Indian national who arrived in the United States on a student visa, has been sentenced to 97 months in federal prison and ordered to repay more than $2.5 million to victims of an elder fraud scheme.
Mangukiya pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, admitting that he helped move proceeds generated through nationwide scams that targeted elderly Americans. According to federal prosecutors, victims were contacted by impostors posing as government or financial-institution officials and were falsely told they were under investigation or that their accounts had been compromised. Under pressure, many victims withdrew large sums of cash or valuables, including gold, which were then handed over to couriers.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Mangukiya received money and gold from victims, recruited at least one courier, and kept a 2% commission on the illicit proceeds he handled. The scheme defrauded victims of more than $2.5 million.
He was arrested on December 5, 2024, in New Jersey. When officers took him into custody, they found $73,422 in cash and equipment used to produce fake identification cards, according to court filings.
Federal authorities described the operation as part of a broader surge in elder-targeted scams, in which criminal groups use fear and impersonation tactics to coerce victims into handing over savings. Prosecutors emphasized that Mangukiya played a direct role in moving and concealing those criminal proceeds.
Along with his prison sentence, a federal judge ordered Mangukiya to pay $2,515,780 in restitution to those affected.
As a non-U.S. citizen convicted of a federal felony, Mangukiya is expected to face immigration consequences, including likely removal from the country, after completing his prison term.
Officials reiterated their warning that elder fraud schemes continue to rise nationwide and urged families to speak regularly with older relatives about common scam tactics.
