DA Chris Hicks announces that a jury has convicted Amit Bhanwala-Singh (dob 11/9/93) of Exploitation of an Elderly Person and Attempt to Obtain Money Under False Pretense. The case was handled in partnership by the Reno Police Department (RPD), the Truckee Police Department (TPD), and United States Secret Service – Reno Resident Office (USSS).
“Older members of our community deserve protection, dignity, and peace of mind, not manipulation and financial devastation at the hands of organized fraudsters,” said DA Hicks. “We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue and punish anyone who seeks to prey on vulnerable citizens.”
The defendant is a member of a large fraud group that targets older and vulnerable citizens by using phone scams. The 64-year-old victim in this case received a scam Amazon text, which led to her calling an unknown co-conspirator who was pretending to be a federal agent investigating the victim for money laundering. The victim was then manipulated into making three separate deliveries of money and gold in various cities in California, with the promise that her assets would be returned once the “investigation” was over. The victim lost about $500,000.
After the third delivery, the woman reported the incident to TPD, saying she was being asked for another asset surrender, this time from her retirement account. An investigation by TPD found Bhanwala-Singh’s car, and the victim was able to identify him as one of the men involved in the scam. Truckee contacted RPD and USSS to assist in a joint sting operation, as the victim had been coming to Reno to purchase the gold. Bhanwala-Singh and co-defendant Anil Kumar were subsequently arrested during the operation.
The State was represented by Deputy District Attorney Yu Meng. Sentencing for Bhanwala-Singh is set for April 23rd before the Honorable David Hardy. He faces up to 30 years in prison. Kumar is set to go to trial before Judge Hardy on July 27th.
