From student visas to magshots: Indian citizens convicted the US for cheating; Model minority tag takes rare hits
They came forward about the Green Card and Trader Joe’s frozen Samos with passports, promises and WhatsApp. But for three Indian students, travel from international class to American dreams made a criminal round. 20 -year -old Kishan Rajeshkumar Patel was sentenced to more than five years of jail for conspiring for money laundering this week. His co-contempted, Dhruv Rajeshbhai Mangukia convicted and is now waiting for the sentence. Both targeted the elderly Americans in a phone scam, arrested IRS and federal officials, threatening the victims to arrest. In a separate but near-close case, another Indian student, Moinuddin Mohammed, was sentenced to eight years earlier this year, who was eight years old for a similar plan to cheat Americans.
How did it work: call, scare, assemble
The formulas were dangerously simple: Cold calls were pretending to be from government agencies to elderly citizens, frightened them with fake legal threats, and forces them to send large amounts. Some victims handed over thousands of dollars – others, even gold – “agent” or mules. Patel’s scam cheated at least 25 persons with a damage of $ 2.7 million. Mohammed’s case conducted a separate investigation, saw a total loss of close to $ 6 million. Once collected, the money was quickly looted through an international web of transfer. American Attorney Justin Simmons said, “These defendants used their visa status to participate in the global fraud network and hunted some of our weakest citizens.”
A Magshot ≠ full story
The “model minority” stereotype was quickly flipped – student visa holders were becoming fraud and threats. But the number tells a more ground story. Currently with over 270,000 Indian students in the US, such criminal cases remain rare outlair.With crime now his Google is part of heritage, these three are included in the small but visible list of immigrants whose shortcuts gave him their freedom and future costs.Meanwhile, most Indian students continue coding, pursue research deadline, or work in McDonald’s – grind it in a difficult way.
