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US man, Sital Singh, caught by FBI for $9.3 million gold scam targeting elderly
Overseas scammers contacted elderly victims by phone and messages, falsely claiming their savings or retirement accounts were compromised to steal money.
A US court has sentenced 43-year-old Sital Singh to four years in prison for his role in a nationwide scam that defrauded elderly victims of millions of dollars through fraudulent gold purchases, federal authorities said.
The sentence was handed down by US District Judge Matthew T Schelp in St. Louis, Missouri. The court also ordered Singh to pay $6.6 million in restitution to victims who were targeted as part of a wider conspiracy involving both US-based operatives and overseas scammers.
Singh pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud along with four other accused — Dariona Lambert, 24; Zhamoniq Stevens, 24; Chintankumar Parekh, 52; and Mehulkumar Darji, 42. According to prosecutors, Lambert and Stevens worked as couriers who collected gold bars or coins from victims, while Singh, Parekh and Darji acted as “handlers” who coordinated the pickups and paid the couriers in cash.
Investigators said the fraud scheme relied on overseas scammers who contacted elderly victims by phone calls and electronic messages, falsely claiming that their savings or retirement accounts had been compromised. Victims were then persuaded to “secure” their funds by purchasing gold bars or coins and handing them over to couriers.
Authorities estimate that the overseas scam network collected about $9.3 million from victims across the United States.
Court documents detailed one case involving an 82-year-old woman in St. Louis who was told by a caller posing as a computer support representative that her financial accounts had been compromised. She was instructed to buy about $250,000 worth of gold bars to protect her funds.
Also read: Indian man wanted by FBI for defrauding victims in the US
In May 2024, Lambert flew from Gainesville, Florida, to St. Louis to collect the gold. Parekh rented a car and drove her to a parking lot near the victim’s home, from where Lambert took a rideshare to complete the pickup. Law enforcement agents intercepted her at the residence, after which Parekh fled to Pittsburgh upon learning she had been apprehended.
How the scam was run?
Authorities said Singh worked as a handler in gold pickup operations in Collierville, Tennessee; Universal City, Texas; and Greendale, Wisconsin. Parekh coordinated pickups in multiple locations including Arizona, California, Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, while Darji handled collections in Scottsdale, Arizona; Largo, Florida; and La Jolla, California.
Lambert carried out courier runs in several cities across the country, including Scottsdale, Placentia, La Jolla, Largo, Universal City, Hanover in Massachusetts, and Erie in Pennsylvania. Stevens also worked as a courier, conducting pickups in locations including Yuma in Arizona, Long Island in New York, Oxnard in California and Cincinnati in Ohio.
In addition to Singh’s sentence, Parekh and Darji were each sentenced to four years in prison. Lambert was sentenced to two years, while Stevens received an 18-month sentence. All five defendants were ordered to pay restitution to victims.
Federal authorities said Parekh and Darji are living in the United States unlawfully and will be deported after completing their prison sentences. Parekh had overstayed his work visa, while Darji had previously been removed from the country in 2014.
Condemning the crime, FBI St. Louis Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker said the scheme caused devastating losses to elderly victims. In one instance, he said, a couple in their 90s lost the money they had saved to support their disabled adult child for the rest of his life.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations in Tampa, Florida. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Gwen Carroll. Federal authorities have urged victims of cyber scams to report incidents through the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
