Three Defendants Indicted for Alleged Multi-State Fraud Scheme

Co-conspirators allegedly posed as federal agents to lure victims into converting retirement savings into gold GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that three defendants, two from New Jersey and one from India, were indicted on federal criminal charges related to alleged wire fraud. Christian Jalan Matthews, Taylor Nicole Mitchell-Meeks, and Sudeep Khurana are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for an alleged scheme to defraud victims out of their savings and retirement funds. The indictment charges that the three defendants were part of a plan, along with other bad actors, to convince victims—most of whom are elderly—that their identities or financial accounts were at risk. After luring victims in with false promises of helping them “secure” these accounts, the co-conspirators convinced them to convert their money to gold or other currency. Posing as federal agents, the co-conspirators then set up meetings with the victims where they would hand over their money for apparent “safekeeping.” The indictment alleges that the conspiracy resulted in the fraudulent receipt or attempted receipt of more than $3 million from at least five victims. If convicted, Matthews, Mitchell-Meeks, and Khurana face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.