An Indian citizen living in the United States on a student visa has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after a jury found him guilty of conspiring to defraud an elderly Vietnam veteran through an elaborate gold scam.
Venkateswara Chagamreddy, 37, of San Antonio, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John D. Russell. He will serve three years of supervised release after his prison term and was ordered to pay $99,496 in restitution. He is also expected to face removal proceedings after completing his sentence.
U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Nassar said Chagamreddy exploited the veteran’s fears by impersonating federal officials and convincing him that his identity had been linked to criminal activity.
“Elder fraud schemes are despicable, calculated attacks that prey on some of the most vulnerable and trusting members of our community. In this case, an Indian national in the United States on a student visa used fear to deceive and extort a Vietnam veteran who served our country,” Nassar said.
The case began in August 2025, when the elderly victim called a phone number he believed belonged to Microsoft support. During the call, he was told that criminal activity had been detected on his computer and that the information would be reported to the federal government.
The victim was subsequently contacted by someone posing as a federal officer. The individual provided a false badge number and claimed that the victim’s identity had been stolen and used by criminals to commit federal crimes.
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The victim was then transferred to someone posing as an official from the Treasury Department. He was told that he needed to protect his money by converting it into gold and that an officer would arrive at his home to collect it.
Believing the claims were legitimate, the victim purchased gold, sent photographs of it to the scammers and later handed over the package to the person who arrived at his home.
Several days later, the fake federal officer contacted the victim again and demanded additional money. The victim then spoke with a family member, who realized he was being scammed and contacted the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office.
Working with the victim, deputies arranged another scheduled pickup. When Chagamreddy arrived at the victim’s home at the agreed time, he was arrested.
Investigators found $500 in cash, a cellphone and 23 ounces of gold inside his vehicle, according to evidence presented at trial.
An agent also testified about messages recovered from Chagamreddy’s cellphone, which prosecutors said showed that he was working with another individual to target multiple elderly victims.
Within a 48-hour period, Chagamreddy allegedly traveled across several states to collect gold from elderly victims.
The evidence showed that he flew from Austin, Texas, to North Carolina, where he picked up gold from an 87-year-old woman. After handing the gold to another co-conspirator, Chagamreddy sent a photograph of a dollar bill with the words, “29 oz rec 3000 paid” written on it.
The following day, Chagamreddy drove from Austin to Andale, Kansas, beginning the trip at 1:21 a.m. During the journey, he sent the co-conspirator updates about his location and fuel levels, including screenshots showing his progress.
After reaching Kansas, he booked a hotel room to rest before continuing to the location provided by the co-conspirator. He was told he would be collecting gold from a 75-year-old woman. After completing the pickup, Chagamreddy sent a photograph of a sealed box with the message, “23 Oz.”
Investigators said Chagamreddy then drove to Delaware County, Oklahoma, where he was directed to collect gold from another elderly victim.
The co-conspirator provided details about the 79-year-old victim, including a photograph showing the man wearing a Vietnam veteran shirt. The agent testified that the victim lived alone on a rural road and that Chagamreddy sent photographs while trying to locate the property.
After finding the home, Chagamreddy sent a photograph confirming that he had arrived. He was detained by Delaware County Sheriff’s deputies shortly afterward.
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Nassar credited the victim’s decision to come forward and the coordinated response by law enforcement with bringing the case to a conclusion.
“Because the victim came forward, and thanks to law enforcement’s coordinated, swift response and the efforts of AUSAs Charles Greenough and Augustus Forster, Chagamreddy was brought to justice,” Nassar said.
“Our office remains committed to protecting older Americans from predatory fraud and ensuring foreign scammers who take advantage of their country’s immigration system are held fully accountable for their crimes,” he added.
The case comes amid a broader federal crackdown on elder fraud targeting older Americans.
According to a 2025 Department of Justice report to Congress, federal authorities took more than 280 enforcement actions against over 600 defendants in elder fraud cases. Many of those defendants were either in the United States illegally or were extradited to face prosecution.
Collectively, the defendants attempted to steal or stole more than $2.3 billion from over one million Americans, according to the Justice Department.
Federal authorities pursued more than 40 types of elder fraud. Investment fraud accounted for the largest reported losses, exceeding $1.8 billion, while fraudulent tech support schemes accounted for another $982 million.
Chagamreddy will remain in custody pending his transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.