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Indian student visa holder convicted in U.S. fraud case
Court evidence showed the defendant coordinated a multi-state scheme targeting elderly victims through impersonation and gold transfer scams.
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Malvika Choudhary - Thu, 16, Apr 2026
- 17:07 EDT
- 31
Representative Image / File Photo
An Indian citizen, who was in the United States on a student visa, was found guilty by a federal jury in Oklahoma of conspiring with others to defraud a 79-year-old Vietnam veteran in Delaware County.
Venkateswara Chagamreddy, 27, of San Antonio, Texas, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud following a scheme that targeted elderly victims through impersonation and financial deception, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma said.
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According to prosecutors, the fraud began in August 2025 when the victim called what he believed to be Microsoft technical support. During the call, he was told that criminal activity had been detected on his computer and that his information would be shared with federal authorities.
The victim was then contacted by an individual posing as a federal officer, who provided a false badge number and claimed the victim’s identity had been used to commit federal crimes.
The victim was instructed to convert his funds into gold and was told that an “officer” would collect it. After complying and handing over a package of gold, the victim was contacted again and asked for additional funds.
He then reached out to a family member, who identified the scheme as a scam and contacted law enforcement.
With the victim’s cooperation, deputies from the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office arranged a controlled pickup. Chagamreddy was arrested when he arrived at the victim’s residence. Authorities recovered $500 in cash, a cell phone, and 23 ounces of gold from his vehicle.
At trial, an agent testified that messages recovered from Chagamreddy’s phone showed coordination with a co-conspirator and involvement in multiple fraud incidents within a 48-hour period.
Evidence showed that he had flown from Austin to North Carolina to collect gold from an 87-year-old woman, later delivering it to another individual and documenting the transaction.
Prosecutors also presented evidence that Chagamreddy drove from Texas to Kansas and Oklahoma, receiving instructions and providing real-time updates, including location screenshots and fuel levels.
In one instance, a co-conspirator sent details about a 75-year-old woman from whom he was to collect gold. In another, he was provided a photograph of the Delaware County victim, who was identified by a Vietnam veteran shirt.
Chagamreddy remained in communication with co-conspirators as he attempted to locate the victim’s rural residence before being apprehended by deputies.
According to the Department of Justice, more than 280 enforcement actions were taken in 2025 against over 600 defendants involved in fraud schemes targeting Americans, particularly older adults.
Authorities reported losses exceeding $2.3 billion, with investment fraud and fraudulent tech support among the most prevalent schemes.
Chagamreddy will remain in custody pending sentencing.
The case was investigated by the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Greenough and Augustus Forster prosecuted the case.
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