Local businessman Pratikbhai Patel received a 41-month sentence and ordered to pay over $650,000 in restitution and forfeiture.
TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Pratikbhai Patel, 32, of Tampa, to three years and five months in federal prison for his involvement in two separate financial crimes. Patel, who previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, must also pay over $650,000 in restitution and forfeiture.
The sentencing, which occurred on September 9, 2025, concludes a case investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. According to court documents, Patel engaged in two distinct schemes that resulted in his conviction.
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The “Runner” Scheme
From July to October 2018, Patel acted as a “runner” for an overseas call center scam. In this operation, conspirators posed as law enforcement officers and threatened victims with arrest or other economic consequences if they didn’t make immediate payments.
Patel used his business account to receive wired funds from these victims. He would then quickly withdraw the money before the victims could dispute the transfers and hand over the cash to another conspirator. This part of the scheme involved the exploitation of vulnerable individuals through intimidation and deceit.
Unlicensed Money Transmitting
In a second, more recent scheme, from September 2020 to February 2023, Patel used business accounts under the names “Tampa Smoke Shop LLC” and “Mamba Distro LLC” to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.
He conducted 235 wire transfers to 115 different recipients by making same-day cash deposits and then transferring the funds. For this service, he charged a fee ranging from 1% to 1.5% of the wired amount. Patel was never licensed by the State of Florida to conduct such business, making his operation illegal.
Law Enforcement and Future Deterrence
“The defendant preyed on vulnerable victims to satisfy his greed,” said Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker of the IRS Criminal Investigation Tampa Field Office. This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, which focuses on dismantling high-level criminal organizations. The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Suzanne Huyler and Dan Baeza.
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“This prosecution should serve as a warning to those intent on exploiting others through financial crimes,” Loecker added. “IRS-CI will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to investigate complex fraud and money laundering schemes to protect our communities.”
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