Now Reading: Gujarati man sentenced to 9 years in US for elderly scam
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Gujarati man sentenced to 9 years in US for elderly scam
A Gujarati man has been sentenced to nine years and two months in a US federal prison for a scam that targeted elderly Americans. Shreyas Baldevbhai Chaudhary, who used the alias 'Al Capone', was sentenced by Judge J Philip Calabrese in Cleveland. His aide Trusha Chaudhary received five years of probation.
The Times of India reports that Chaudhary acted as the director of couriers, directing them to collect cash and gold from victims across the US. The scam ran from December 2022 to December 2023. It began when a Massachusetts man clicked a fake pop-up ad and was told he was a victim of identity theft, leading him to send gift cards and cash. The FBI was alerted by a bank and arrested a courier, who led them to Chaudhary.
Ndtv.com reports that another man, Jay Sunilbharthi Goswami, was arrested in Canada for a separate $7.5 million scam targeting seniors in New York and New Jersey. He allegedly acted as a money mule, collecting cash and gold on at least nine occasions. Chaudhary was ordered to pay restitution of $5,164,031, while Trusha Chaudhary was ordered to pay $343,641.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Both sources report the same sentencing factually, but the Times of India provides extensive detail on the scam's mechanics and Chaudhary's background, including his attorney's argument about extreme poverty. Ndtv.com focuses on a separate arrest of another Gujarati man in Canada. The framing in the Times of India humanises the convict through the poverty narrative, which a careful reader should weigh against the severity of the crime: Chaudhary orchestrated a multi-year fraud that exploited elderly victims. The core takeaway is the 9-year sentence and the large restitution order, with a similar case pending in Canada.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): ndtv.com (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
