A 27-year-old Indian American student, Venkateswara Chagamreddy, has been convicted in a fraud case involving a 79-year-old Vietnam veteran in Delaware County.
According to prosecutors, the scheme began in August 2025 when the elderly man called a number he believed belonged to Microsoft support. He was told his computer had been linked to criminal activity and that a federal officer would contact him with further instructions. Soon after, another caller posed as a federal agent, gave a fake badge number, and claimed the victim’s identity had been stolen and used in federal crimes.
The victim was then told that his money needed to be converted into gold and handed over to the U.S. Treasury for “safekeeping.” Believing the story, he complied and gave a large amount of gold to a person posing as an official.
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The fraud came to light when the victim was contacted again and asked for more funds. This time, he checked with a family member, who warned him that no government agency would ever ask for gold. When another pickup was arranged, Chagamreddy arrived to collect the package and was arrested.
Investigators told the jury that he had $500 in cash, a mobile phone, and 23 ounces of gold in his vehicle at the time of his arrest. Authorities said the case is part of a wider gold scam network already on law enforcement’s radar. Chagamreddy is believed to have worked with at least one co-conspirator and acted primarily as a courier, traveling across states to collect packages from victims.
Evidence showed he was in contact with several elderly individuals and had made trips across state lines. In one instance, he flew from Austin to North Carolina, picked up gold, and delivered it to another person involved in the operation. During these trips, he regularly shared updates on his location, fuel levels, and progress with the co-conspirator.
After his arrest, Chagamreddy told authorities he was in the United States on a student visa and faced the risk of deportation after being suspended from school. He also said he had recently traveled out of state to enroll in another college and was carrying the gold when he returned.
In a separate case, two Dublin residents have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit visa fraud, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
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Sampath Rajidi, 51, and Sreedhar Mada, 51, were involved in a fraudulent H-1B visa scheme. Rajidi operated two businesses that handled H-1B visa services for foreign workers seeking temporary jobs, while Mada served as chief information officer at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources in Davis, where he had the authority to hire H-1B workers.
Prosecutors said that between 2020 and 2023, the two men submitted fake visa petitions. Rajidi falsely claimed that workers would be employed by the University of California, and Mada used his position to make the applications appear legitimate. In reality, the jobs did not exist. While the visa applicants were real individuals, they were ultimately placed with employers unrelated to the university.