Two Indian-origin men, Tejas Patel and Navya Bhatt, were arrested in the United States on federal money laundering charges tied to a broad fraud operation spanning Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Court documents describe schemes including PayPal fraud, fake Microsoft computer repair scams, and Bitcoin-related cons, with victims urged to remit payments in unusual forms such as gold bars, cryptocurrency, and large sums of cash. Patel and Bhatt each face three counts of money laundering.
The FBI’s Cleveland Division Cyber Squad led the probe, which authorities say is connected to a larger network that concealed funds obtained through fraud. In Toledo, a woman was allegedly deceived into delivering more than $40,000 in cash after being told she was dealing with representatives of the Federal Trade Commission. Patel is due back in court on February 6 for a detention hearing, while Bhatt remains in ICE custody with no new date scheduled.
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