Indian-origin man arraigned in $50,000 scam targeting elderly in Michigan

According to the Shelby Township Police Department, Vedantkumar Patel faces two felony charges.

Vedantkumar Bhupenbhai Patel. / Shelby Township Police Department

Vedantkumar Bhupenbhai Patel, a 25-year-old Indian national living in Toledo, Ohio on a student visa, was arraigned on May 5 in Michigan’s 41-A District Court after being charged with scamming $50,000 from an elderly couple in Shelby Township. Magistrate James VerPloeg set his bond at $100,000 cash surety.

Patel was arrested on Apr.30 and extradited to Michigan following a month-long investigation. According to a May 12 statement from the Shelby Township Police Department, the fraud was first reported on Apr.5. The victims, an elderly couple, had received an email claiming they were facing fraudulent charges for purchasing child pornography. The sender instructed them to withdraw $50,000 in cash to avoid prosecution and to hand it over to an individual posing as a Treasury Department agent. Two days later, Patel allegedly rented a car and drove from Toledo to their home, where the couple gave him the cash-filled box.

Detective Thomas Verdura, who led the investigation, used license plate recognition technology and multiple search warrants to identify Patel. Authorities believe he may have already shipped the money to India and is under federal investigation in at least two other scams targeting elderly victims. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has also placed a detainer on him.

“The investigative work by Detective Thomas Verdura was extraordinary,” said Shelby Township Police Chief Robert Shelide. “People that prey on the elderly are the most despicable type of criminals that I have dealt with in my 38+ years of law enforcement.”

Patel faces two felony charges: one count of false pretenses involving $50,000 or more, and one count of larceny involving $20,000 or more.

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