Two Wisconsin men face serious charges for their alleged roles in a scam that preyed upon Missouri residents, according to a federal indictment. Srinivas Putta, 42, and Ankurkumar Patel, 43, are staring down the possibility of 20 years behind bars after being accused of acting as couriers in an impostor scam, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.
Putta was apprehended in Wisconsin on April 14 and has pleaded not guilty after appearing in court on Wednesday. Following his March 27 arrest, Patel also entered a not guilty plea. In the indictment released on February 26, both men are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud, described as part of a conspiracy defrauding victims by impersonating financial institutions, the Internal Revenue Service among other governmental agencies.
One victim was caught in their snare with threats of identity theft repercussions and deportation, unless he complied with their demands, the indictment outlines. It claims victims were told their money was tainted, or so-called "black money," by identity thieves and required to hand over prepaid debit cards to couriers like Putta and Patel meant for a 'clean' government-set account.
A confronting scene unfolded on September 25, 2023, as the indictment detailed, when the victim was instructed to bring $144,000 to a Target parking lot in Missouri to meet with Putta and Patel. In another occasion, couriers for the scam relieved the victim of an additional $125,000. Every charge in an indictment must be understood as an accusation, and it does not stand as evidence of guilt. Each defendant maintains the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise in the eyes of the law.
The charges for conspiracy and wire fraud carry a punishment of up to 20 years in prison, fines up to $250,000, or both. Leading the charge into the investigation is U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations team, working in tandem with the O'Fallon (Missouri) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry has been tasked with prosecuting the case.
