According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, Neel Patel, 24, of Carol Stream, Illinois, pleaded guilty in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County before Judge Sharon Burrell to one count of theft over $100,000 and one count of conspiracy to commit theft over $100,000.
Patel, who faces up to 20 years in prison, is scheduled for sentencing on May 9, 2025. On March 5, 2024, he stole $331,817.54 worth of gold bars from a 64-year-old victim who was deceived into believing she was handing them over to FBI agents for safekeeping as part of a ‘gold bar scam.’
According to an Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) news release, “In early March of 2024, a victim reported that she had been contacted by a person who identified himself as being with the Office of the Inspector General – Federal Trade Commission. The victim was advised that she had been the victim of an identity theft which led to a federal investigation involving drugs and money laundering. The victim was then directed to transfer all assets into gold bars, which would then be picked up by a courier who is an “FBI Agent” to take to the US Department of Treasury for safekeeping.
The victim complied with the suspect’s demands and completed two separate deliveries of gold bars to the couriers, worth over $789,000. Through the course of the investigation, detectives identified Patel as the courier of the first delivery of gold bars worth over $331,000 and obtained a warrant for his arrest. Detectives previously arrested Wenhui Sun for his involvement as the second courier who picked up gold bars from the victim.
On Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at approximately 11 p.m., Patel was arrested at Chicago O’Hare International Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Dublin, Ireland. On August 6, 2024, MCPD Detectives extradited Patel to Maryland.
For additional information regarding frauds and scams or to learn how to report a situation, please visit https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/pol/fraud/financial-crimes-section.html.”
