Citizen of India, arrested for his role in multi-million-dollar scheme defrauding the elderly, taken into custody

BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Jay Sunilbharthi Goswami, 21, of Gujarat, India, and Jersey City, NJ, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

According to the criminal complaint, in January 2026, the IRS Criminal Investigation Division became aware of an internet and telephone-based fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims in the Western District of New York and other areas around the country. Those responsible for the scheme (perpetrators) fraudulently represented to victims, online and in phone calls, that their bank accounts, funds, and/or personally identifiable information (PII) were threatened or compromised in some manner. Elderly victims were convinced to liquidate their assets in the form of cash, gold, and/or gift cards. The perpetrators would then pose as either members of law enforcement or other pertinent figures to further their scheme to defraud elderly individuals.

When the scheme involved either cash or gold, the perpetrators arranged for "money mules" to pick up the cash or gold from the victims and then deliver it to another member of the conspiracy. Defendant Goswami, who is from Gujarat, India but living in Jersey City, New Jersey, was a money mule. On at least nine occasions, he either personally collected or conspired to collect cash and gold from elderly victims in New York and New Jersey. The victims ranged in age from 59-years-old to 87-years-old. In total, the nine victims lost approximately $7,559,185.00.

The criminal complaint further states that Goswami opened an account at Bank of America. Between August 1, 2025, and April 6, 2026, he made deposits of more than $90,000 in cash. Investigators believe the deposits are consistent with Goswami receiving compensation for acting as a money mule in the fraudulent scheme.

Goswami made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen on August 17, 2026, and was released on conditions. On August 18, 2026, at approximately 10:25 a.m., he fled the United Stats by crossing into Canada at the Peace Bridge. Law enforcement subsequently learned that Goswami was booked on a flight to Doha, Qatar out of Toronto, Ontario, later that evening. The United States Probation Office submitted a Violation Report of Defendant Under Pretrial Supervision to the Court, which issued an Order and Warrant of Arrest. At approximately 7:13 p.m., Canadian law enforcement officials took Goswami into custody, pursuant to Canadian immigration violations, at the Toronto Pearson International Airport. On August 20, Canadian authorities arrested Goswami pursuant to the request for provisional arrest for extradition to the United States.

The fraud case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire. The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the IRS Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Harry T. Chavis, Jr., New York Field Division. Additional assistance was provided by the New York State Police, the New Jersey State Police and New Jersey Office of Homeland Security Investigations. Goswami's re-arrest is the result of the efforts of the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina, the IRS-CI, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Anthony Patrone, U.S. Border Patrol, Buffalo Sector, under the direction of Acting Chief Patrol Agent James D'Amato, the U.S Probation Office, under the direction of Chief Probation Officer Clifford Jackson, and Canadian law enforcement. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs is providing valuable assistance with securing the extradition from Canada of Goswami to the United States.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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