An Indian national on a student visa was convicted by a federal jury for his role in a scheme that defrauded a 79-year-old Vietnam veteran out of gold, with evidence tying him to multiple similar pickups across several states.

A federal jury on Wednesday convicted a citizen of India who was in the United States on a student visa for conspiring with others to knowingly defraud a 79-year-old Vietnam veteran in Delaware County. Venkateswara Chagamreddy, 27, living in San Antonio, Texas, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud after authorities say he took part in a coordinated scam that used fake federal identities and tech support ruses.

In August 2025 the victim called a number he believed was Microsoft support and was told criminal activity had been detected on his computer and that information would be turned over to the federal government. The victim was then contacted by someone claiming to be a federal officer, who provided a false badge number and said the victim’s identity had been stolen, provided to criminals, and was being “investigated.”

The fake federal officer told the victim he would be transferred to the “treasury department” and that his money needed to be moved into gold, with an “officer” scheduled to pick it up the next day. The elderly man complied, sent photos of the gold, and handed over a package when the purported officer arrived at his home. Days later the impostor demanded more funds, which prompted the victim’s family to contact law enforcement.

With the victim’s cooperation, deputies arranged a staged pickup and arrested Chagamreddy when he arrived at the scheduled time and place. Jury evidence showed officers found $500 in cash, a cell phone, and 23 ounces of gold in his vehicle at the time of arrest, and agents testified about incriminating messages found on his phone linking him to other targets.

Prosecutors presented messages that showed Chagamreddy working with at least one co-conspirator to defraud multiple victims within a 48-hour window. The agent described travel tied to the scheme, including a trip from Austin to North Carolina to pick up gold from an 87-year-old woman, and then delivering that gold to another conspirator before sending a photo of a dollar bill with “29 oz rec 3000 paid” written on it.

The messages continued to map a long drive from Austin to Andale, Kansas, beginning at 1:21 a.m., during which Chagamreddy provided status updates and screenshots of his location and fuel levels to a co-conspirator. He booked a hotel to rest briefly, then followed directions to pick up gold from a described 75-year-old woman and later sent a photo of a sealed box labeled “23 Oz.”

After that pickup, the agent said the messaging showed Chagamreddy drove to Delaware County, Oklahoma, where the co-conspirator supplied a photo of the 79-year-old victim wearing a Vietnam veteran shirt and noted he lived alone on a rural road. Chagamreddy sent photos while trying to find the location, then confirmed arrival and was detained by Delaware County Sheriff’s deputies shortly after.

Federal reporting in 2025 noted that more than 280 enforcement actions targeted over 600 defendants, many prosecuted after being in the United States illegally or being extradited, and that these efforts exposed attempts to steal more than $2.3 billion from over one million Americans. The Department of Justice tracked more than 40 types of elder fraud, with investment fraud accounting for about $1.8 billion in losses and fraudulent tech support totaling $982 million.

Chagamreddy will remain in custody until sentencing is scheduled at a later date. The investigation involved the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Greenough and Augustus Forster.

To find help or report elder abuse, contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311), available 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. Elder Justice Neighborhood Resources for Oklahoma are available through Department of Justice outreach and local victim-support channels.