Indian national arrested in U.S. over multi-million-dollar fraud targeting elderly

An Indian national has been arrested and charged in the U.S. for his alleged role as a “money mule” in a multi-million-dollar scheme targeting elderly victims.

Jay Sunilbharthi Goswami, 21, a Gujarat native who lived in Jersey City, New Jersey, was detained in Canada while attempting to flee to Qatar.

He was charged by criminal complaint with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo said Friday (August 21).

Goswami appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Pedersen on August 17 and was released under conditions. A day later, he crossed into Canada. Law enforcement learned he had booked a flight from Toronto to Doha, Qatar, on the evening of August 18.

Canadian authorities detained Goswami at Toronto Pearson International Airport and arrested him on August 20 following a U.S. request for provisional arrest pending extradition.

According to the criminal complaint, the IRS Criminal Investigation Division learned in January 2026 of an internet- and telephone-based fraud scheme targeting elderly victims in the Western District of New York and elsewhere in the U.S..

The perpetrators allegedly told victims that their bank accounts, funds or personal information had been compromised. They then persuaded them to liquidate assets into cash, gold or gift cards before posing as law enforcement officials or other figures to further the fraud.

When cash or gold was involved, the conspirators allegedly used “money mules” to collect the valuables from victims and deliver them to other members of the conspiracy, the Justice Department said.

Goswami allegedly acted as a money mule, personally collecting or conspiring to collect cash and gold from elderly victims in New York and New Jersey on at least nine occasions. The nine victims, aged between 59 and 87, lost approximately USD 7.5 million in total, according to the complaint.

The complaint also states that Goswami opened a bank account in the US and deposited more than $90,000 in cash between August 1, 2025, and April 6, 2026.

Investigators believe the deposits were consistent with payments Goswami received for acting as a money mule in the scheme.