Four men charged in $3.5-million tax fraud

NEW YORK, NY — Four men of Indian descent, including Indian Americans, have been charged in a $3.5 -illion fraud scheme in which they allegedly posed as tax officials and then threatened and collected money from over 7,300 people.

Wisconsin Eastern District prosecutor Gregory Haanstad on November 30 said the scheme was "likely originating from India."

Moin Gohil, 22, was picked up by law enforcement authorities in Georgia on November 24, and Pratik Patel, 26; Parvez Jiwani, 39; and Nakul Chetiwal, 27, were arrested on November 28 by federal authorities.

Participants in the scheme, which is based "likely in India," call victims in the US, pretend to be officials from the federal tax agency – the Internal Revenue Service – and typically claim the victims owe taxes.

They then threaten and intimidate the victims, saying they will face arrest or legal action if they do not send money through services like MoneyGram and Western Union, or provide gift cards with cash value.

If found guilty, they could face a maximum prison term of 20 years and a $250,000 fine for each crime.

Frauds like these are widespread and the perpetrators have tarnished the reputation of India and Indians.