The knock on the door was supposed to be a federal agent collecting $60,000 from an elderly victim. Instead, it was the beginning of a weeklong sting in Baxter County that ended with three men in jail and a warning about a growing scam that authorities say is preying on the elderly.
Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies teamed up this month to target “money mules” — couriers who pick up cash from victims after overseas scammers convince them, often through fear and threats, to hand over their savings.
On Aug. 14, investigators said, Pruthviraj Ghanshyambha Butiya, 24, of St. Charles, Missouri, showed up at a Mountain Home residence posing as a Federal Trade Commission officer. After accepting what he thought was $60,000 in cash, he fled in a vehicle but was caught a short time later.
The next day, officers arrested Osazuwa Presley Ikponmwosa, 27, of Houston, Texas, after he arrived for a similar cash pickup. His alleged partner, Pranav Sharma, 28, of Haltom City, Texas, led deputies on a high-speed chase through residential streets and highways before abandoning his vehicle in a wooded area. A helicopter and tracking dogs helped locate him about three hours later.
Both Butiya and Sharma, who are citizens of India, face immigration holds by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in addition to theft charges. Ikponmwosa, a U.S. citizen, faces a felony theft charge.
Deputies also arrested 22-year-old Gage Thurman, who they said misled officers about Sharma’s whereabouts during the manhunt. He faces a misdemeanor obstruction charge.
Sheriff John F. Montgomery said scammers remain active in the region, and more than 10 suspected couriers believed to have been in Baxter County during the operation have since left.
“Hopefully this will educate and inform the public of these scams and prevent others from becoming a victim,” Montgomery said in a statement.
The sting involved the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, Mountain Home Police Department, Arkansas State Police, FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Arkansas Division of Correction, and the Baxter County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Images: Baxter County Sheriff’s Office
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