An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to six years in prison for defrauding senior citizens through overseas call centers. Federal Judge William Jung of Tampa, Florida, sentenced Pranav Patel (33) to 75 months in prison and fined him $1.79 million. According to court documents, Patel’s co-conspirators operated call centers overseas from where they would call senior citizens, posing as Treasury Department or other agencies, threatening them with arrest and demanding payment to avoid legal action. Patel would later collect money from the senior citizens. Secret Service Special Agent Robert Engel, reacting to the court’s decision, said that Patel and his associates had defrauded senior citizens of nearly $2 million and that the victims had finally received justice.
