Ravinklejeet Mathon, 26, of Rockville, was sentenced to five years in prison, followed by five years of probation, for his role in a phone scam targeting a 94-year-old man, in which three gold bars valued at over $229,000 were stolen as part of an international organized crime scheme.
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “Today in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, the Honorable Margaret Schweitzer sentenced defendant, Ravinklejeet Mathon, 26, of Rockville, to ten years in prison suspending all but five years to serve and five years of probation upon release.
In October, Mathon pleaded guilty to charges of attempted theft over $100,000 and conspiracy to commit theft over $100,000. The Maryland State Sentencing Guidelines for this case suggested a sentence of probation to one year.
Mathon was part of a scheme to steal three 1-kilo gold bars valued at a total of approximately $229, 848 from an elderly man in Silver Spring. The victim was targeted in a phone scam and converted his savings into gold bars, believing he was about to hand it over to “federal agents” for safe-keeping. The scam is believed to be part of an international organized crime ring. Similar Gold Bar Scams have been reported here in Montgomery County and across the United States.
Statement from State’s Attorney John McCarthy: “The state of Maryland has suggested sentencing guidelines to ensure that similarly situated defendants receive similar punishment for crimes they have committed. The guidelines for non-violent, white-collar crime are typically low and were not designed to deal with crimes of this magnitude or complexity. The gold bar scams are unique due to the level of international, organized crime involved. In addition, there was special vulnerability in this case due to the victim’s advanced age of 94. We thank the Montgomery County Police Financial Crimes Section and Assistant State’s Attorneys Hannah Gleason and Robert Hill for their work in seeking justice in this matter.”
