Two Indian nationals, Arushobike Mitra, 29, and Garbita Mitra, 25, were sentenced to 41 months in prison each for their involvement in a wire fraud scheme that illegally obtained $1.2 million from victims across the U.S., as announced by U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.
Notably, the two Mitras are not related.
The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in the Newark federal court after both pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger stated, "These defendants, along with their co-conspirators, victimized some of our nation's most susceptible citizens with deceit and threats to extract money."
He emphasized that safeguarding the elderly from such deceptive robocall scams is a top concern for his office, warning others who engage in such frauds to be prepared for legal consequences.
Court documents revealed that the fraud operated out of call centers in India, where robocalls were made, primarily targeting the elderly.
Once contact was established, victims were manipulated or coerced into sending money either through physical packages or wire transfers.
Scammers posed as officials from U.S. government agencies like the Social Security Administration or law enforcement bodies such as the FBI or DEA, threatening victims with dire legal or financial repercussions if they didn't pay up.
Another deceptive tactic involved tricking victims into believing they were speaking with tech support personnel, gaining remote access to their computers, and then manipulating bank account transactions to appear as accidental transfers, pressuring the victim to "return" the money.
Apart from their prison sentences, Judge Salas has also imposed a three-year supervised release on both Arushobike and Garbita Mitra and ordered them to jointly pay $835,324 in restitution.