WHEELING, W. Va. – A Morgantown man has been indicted following an investigation into the theft nearly a half a million dollars in a check forgery scheme that victimized a a relative.
Jaynesh Umesh Patel, 40, faces bank fraud and aggravated identity theft charges, according to United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld. Patel allegedly used the identity of a relative to create fraudulent bank accounts and forged checks to be deposited that amounted to more than $450,000.
Ihlenfeld said the scheme was executed between June 2019 and 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 could be sentenced to 30 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $1 million for each of the three counts of bank fraud and faces up to two years in federal prison each of the two counts of aggravated identity theft.
The FBI conducted the investigation.