Delaware State Police Detectives Arrest New York Man for Felony Theft in Scam
Delaware State Police detectives have arrested 35-year-old Flushing, New York man for a scam in which he impersonated a federal agent and convinced the victim that she needed to convert money to gold. He told her to give that to him for transport to the U.S. Treasury for safe keeping.聽Rakeshkumar Patel聽was identified as one of the individuals in connection with the scam and was charged with felony theft following a joint financial crimes investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The joint investigation is ongoing as detectives are working to identify other individuals involved in the scam. Patel is at Sussex Correctional Institution on a $103,000 cash bond.
Rakeshkumar Patel
Charges:
- Theft over $100,000 (Felony)
- Wearing a Disguise During the Commission of a Felony (Felony)
Detectives are asking anyone who may have been defrauded in a similar manner to please contact the Financial Crimes Unit by calling Troop 2 for New Castle County at 302-834-2620, Troop 3 for Kent County at 302-697-4454, and Troop 4 for Sussex County at 302-856-5850. Information may also be provided by sending a Private Facebook Message to the Delaware State Police or contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333. In addition to contacting the Delaware State Police, victims are also encouraged to file a complaint with the FBI鈥檚 Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
If you or someone you know is a victim or witness of a crime or have lost a loved one to a sudden death and need assistance, the Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit / Delaware Victim Center is available to offer you support and resources 24 hours a day through a toll-free hotline at 1-800-VICTIM-1 (1-800-842-8461). You may also email the Victim Services Unit at DSP_VictimServicesMail@delaware.gov
