Inmate Pleads Guilty to Running Elder Fraud Calls and Texts From Federal Prison on a Contraband Phone

The bottom line: the scheme began with a text or a phone call from someone posing as PayPal or a federal agent and ended with elderly victims mailing checks to Texas.

Here is what happened

According to DOJ, Singh obtained a contraband cell phone in 2025 while in prison. He used it to communicate with others in a mail fraud and money laundering conspiracy targeting elderly victims.

The release provides specific information about one victim. A 93-year-old North Dakota woman was instructed to mail a $45,000 check after she was falsely told that Attorney General Pam Bondi would help her get a new identification card and return her money. While in federal prison, Singh used the contraband phone to send messages to a phone number in India, including a photo of a bank receipt showing that the victim's check had been deposited in Edinburg, Texas.

U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. accepted the plea and set sentencing for December 21. Singh faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He remains in custody. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) investigated the case.

What the indictment alleges

A grand jury returned the indictment on April 1, 2026, in case No. 4:26-cr-204. It charged Singh with conspiracy to commit mail fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1349), three counts of mail fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1341) and conspiracy to commit money laundering (18 U.S.C. § 1956(h)). The release reports a guilty plea to the mail fraud conspiracy. It does not say how the other counts will be resolved, and the allegations beyond the plea have not been proven in court.

The indictment describes how the scheme worked:

1. First contact by text or phone. The fraudsters "generally" contacted victims by text or phone.
2. Impersonation. Victims were led to believe that they were talking to PayPal or a federal government agent.
3. The cover stories. Victims were told that their money would be returned to them after they received a new identification card (described as "somehow connected to Attorney General Pam Bondi"), after they were removed from a government list associated with drug cartels through "cleaning" their money, or after their money was protected from hackers.
4. The mail drop. Victims who responded were told to mail checks to an address in the Southern District of Texas. According to the indictment, that address belonged to a co-conspirator identified only as "OO," who cashed the checks for a fee and distributed the rest to other co-conspirators.

The indictment alleges that the North Dakota victim mailed her $45,000 check on or about July 17, 2025, after she spoke with a caller who used the name "Mark." It lists two other mailings in August 2025, one a cashier's check from a 76-year-old victim and one a personal check from an 89-year-old victim. The indictment also alleges that Singh texted a photo of the victim's check and, later, the deposit receipt to co-conspirators, one of whom used an Indian phone number. The indictment notes that it is a federal crime for inmates to possess cell phones in federal prison.

The law

This is a mail fraud prosecution, not a Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) case. However, the contact method is the one behind many impersonation robocall and text scams, and prosecutors used the federal fraud statutes to reach it.

Why it matters

There are three standout points.

• The phone is the entry point. By the indictment's account, nothing happened until a victim answered a text or call.
• Trusted names are the hook. PayPal and federal agents were invoked because consumers trust them. Impersonating a known brand or agency remains one of the most common fraud patterns.
• Prison walls did not stop the scheme. According to DOJ, a contraband phone was enough to coordinate it from inside a federal facility.

Practical takeaways

1. Never allow agents or vendors to suggest a government or brand affiliation that they do not have.
2. Watch your text and voice traffic for scripts that mention government programs, identification cards or "protecting" money.
3. If you provide messaging or voice services, know your customers and act quickly on traceback and abuse reports.
4. Let your customers know how you will contact them and that you will never ask them to mail checks to protect their money.

Impersonation fraud relies on borrowed trust. Do not lend yours.

Source: DOJ, Indian national pleads guilty in elderly fraud scheme while in prison.