WHEELING, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Morgantown man is accused of stealing nearly a half a million dollars in a scheme involving the forgery of checks that belonged to a relative.
United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced that Jaynesh Umesh Patel, 40, was indicted today on charges of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Patel is accused of using the identity of a relative to create fraudulent bank accounts and then forging checks to be deposited. The total amount of fraud alleged is more than $450,000.
The conduct occurred from June 2019 until October 2022 in Harrison, Marion, and Monongalia Counties.
“Sadly, those who engage in white-collar crime are often related to their victims, and that is the case here,” said United States Attorney Ihlenfeld. “We will continue to make sure offenders are held to account and do everything within our power to recover the amount lost.”
Patel faces up to 30 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1 million for each of the three counts of bank fraud and faces up to two years of incarceration for each of the two counts of aggravated identity theft. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Cogar is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI investigated.
An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
