Brookfield Man Charged with Money Laundering Conspiracy and Money Laundering

Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on August 12, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Ankurkumar Patel (age: 41) of Brookfield, Wisconsin, with one count of money laundering conspiracy, and one count of substantive money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1956(h) and 1957, respectively.

The indictment alleges that Patel conspired with others to launder over $1 million from elderly victims in multiple states, including a victim in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, who fell prey to a “Phantom Hacker Scam.”  Phantom Hacker Scams are a type of fraud that primarily targets elderly victims.  A participant in the scheme, who is often located overseas, poses as a customer service agent at a company or government agency. The purported customer service agent contacts the victim or induces the victim to contact the purported agent and falsely claims that the victim’s identity or bank account has been hacked or compromised. The fraudster then refers the victim to a co-conspirator posing as a law enforcement agent who directs the victim to move their funds, usually in the form of cash or physical gold, to a third-party or government account for safe keeping. The co-conspirator then coordinates the transfer of the victim’s funds to other participants in the scheme who act as couriers. The indictment alleges that Patel personally retrieved over $1 million from victims and conspired to launder it by distributing the money to other co-conspirators through anonymous, surreptitious transactions.

If convicted of the money laundering conspiracy, Patel would face a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of not more than $500,000, or twice the value of the property involved, whichever is greater. If convicted of the substantive money laundering count, Patel would face a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of not more than $250,000, or twice the amount of the criminally derived property.

If you believe you or someone you know may have fallen victim to a similar scam, please contact the FBI at 414-276-4684.

This case was investigated by the FBI in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Homeland Security Investigations in St. Louis, Missouri. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter J. Smyczek.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.     

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For further information contact:

Public Affairs Officer Steve Caballero                                                                                    

(414) 297-1700

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