Close X
Sunday, January 12, 2025
ADVT 
International

Indian Citizen Sentenced In US For Call Centre-Linked Fraud

Darpan News Desk IANS, 19 Apr, 2019 07:33 PM

    A federal judge in Florida has sentenced an Indian citizen to eight years and six months in prison for his involvement in an India-based call centre scam, according to the US Justice Department.


    At his sentencing on Thursday, Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington also ordered Hemalkumar Shah, 27, to pay $80,000.


    He had been convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft relating to his participation in the Indian call center scam after he admitted his guilt in January.


    According to court documents, Shah participated in the scam to extort money from American residents by impersonating US tax officers between 2014 and 2016.


    He and his accomplices in the US and call centres in India misled the victims into believing that they owed taxes and threatened them with arrest if they did not pay the fictitious taxes immediately, according to the court filings.


    The fraudsters hired people described as "runners" to collect for them the money from the victims in the form of prepaid cards or through wire transfers, the documents said.


    Four others who participated in the scheme have been found guilty after they admitted their crimes in court.


    Last month, Nishitkumar Patel was sentenced to eight years and nine months, and Alejandro Juarez was sentenced to 15 months.


    Two others are awaiting sentencing.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    UK Visa System 'Shake-Up' Opposed By Punjabi Labour Party MPs

    The Theresa May government's announcement was being touted as the biggest visa system 'shake-up' in the past 40 years.

    UK Visa System 'Shake-Up' Opposed By Punjabi Labour Party MPs

    Three Indian-Origin Teens Among Time Magazine's 25 Most Influential

    Three Indian-origin students have been named among the 25 most influential teens of 2018 by Time magazine for making a mark across numerous fields.

    Three Indian-Origin Teens Among Time Magazine's 25 Most Influential

    UK Cops Closer To Solving 22-Year-Old Murder Case Of Indian-Origin Woman Surinder Kaur Varyapraj

    Surinder Kaur Varyapraj was last seen outside her home on January 4, 1996, and the decomposed body of the 36-year-old mother of three was found in her bedroom on March 5 that year.

    UK Cops Closer To Solving 22-Year-Old Murder Case Of Indian-Origin Woman Surinder Kaur Varyapraj

    Outrage As Doormats, Rugs With Golden Temple Image Appears On Amazon, Amarinder Singh Joins Protest

    It has come to our attention that several sellers are posting products onto your platform that culturally appropriate the imagery of the Golden Temple and spiritual imagery of other eastern cultures

    Outrage As Doormats, Rugs With Golden Temple Image Appears On Amazon, Amarinder Singh Joins Protest

    American Man Gets 15 Months In Prison For Attacking Sikh Cab Driver Swarn Singh With Hammer

    American Man Gets 15 Months In Prison For Attacking Sikh Cab Driver Swarn Singh With Hammer
    A man in the US has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for brutally attacking a 53-year-old Indian-origin Sikh taxi driver in Seattle last year.

    American Man Gets 15 Months In Prison For Attacking Sikh Cab Driver Swarn Singh With Hammer

    Lawsuit Against H-4 Visa Authorisation Moves Forward After Court Move

    Lawsuit Against H-4 Visa Authorisation Moves Forward After Court Move
    The Barack Obama administration in 2015 had allowed H4 visa-holders--mainly spouses of the H-1B visa-holders--to be gainfully employed in the US.

    Lawsuit Against H-4 Visa Authorisation Moves Forward After Court Move