Petersburg police have arrested two men in a six-figure fraud scheme against a senior in the Southeast Alaska town, after a sting operation last week with assistance from the FBI.
Court records show Shubham Patel, 24, and Harshilkumar Patel, 22, face felony state charges of scheme to defraud and first-degree theft in the case, involving losses of nearly $130,000. The men are unrelated citizens of India.
According to charging documents in the case, police got a report on June 2 that a resident had first been targeted in mid-May by phone scammers posing as federal officials. The victim told investigators that a fake Drug Enforcement Administration agent using the alias “Sean Watson” said her identity had been stolen, and convinced her to wire them nearly $80,000.
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They then allegedly convinced her to hand-deliver an additional $50,000 in cash to a person posing as a government agent in Petersburg on May 20. Investigators later identified that person as a third suspect, who hasn't yet been charged according to court records.
The victim was contacted by “Watson” again later and told to deliver an additional $60,000 cash to another “undercover agent,” according to the charges. Her family alerted local authorities, which arranged the sting operation.
Investigators said in the charges that they saw Shubham and Harshilkumar Patel arrive at the Petersburg airport on June 9 and scope the meeting place before redirecting the victim somewhere else.
Harshilkumar got the cash from the victim, and then law enforcement arrested both men.
According to investigators, Harshilkumar said he was recruited by Shubham shortly before traveling to Petersburg in June, but had reservations about being involved and claimed not to know the people giving him instructions for the exchange or what the money was for.
But the investigation found Shubham’s name connected to a May hotel stay in Petersburg with the third suspect, a U-Haul rental and thousands of dollars in gift cards and USPS money orders purchased locally in Petersburg.
Through a translator, the Patels heard their charges on Tuesday during a joint first-appearance hearing at the Petersburg Courthouse. They remain in custody in Juneau.
Petersburg Magistrate Judge Rachel Newport set Shubham’s bail at $300,000; he opted to find his own legal representation. Newport set Harshilkumar’s bail at $100,000 total, noting his alleged later involvement; he opted to have a public attorney assigned to his case. The public defender’s office in Juneau did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The victim didn’t wish to speak for the record during the hearing. She has asked not to be named publicly at this time.
The Patels' next court appearance is scheduled for Friday in Petersburg.
Petersburg police said their investigation into the case is ongoing, with additional arrests possible. In a press release, the department credited the FBI, Ketchikan District Attorney’s Office, Juneau District Attorney’s Office and other agencies for their cooperation.
Resources for avoiding scams are available online from the FBI.