Neither the Secret Service and FBI nor the Gainesville Police Department (GPD) accepts gold as payment. In fact, if anyone asks you to pay in gold or cryptocurrency, you should contact law enforcement and tell them someone is trying to scam you.
On Jan. 13, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida sentenced Atharva Shailesh Sathawane, 23, to 18 years in prison for his part in scamming elderly victims out of $15 million in gold and cash. The investigation revealed at least 28 victims across the East Coast.
The sentencing came after a jury convicted him in October of the crimes. The victims included Gainesville resident Brian Oliver, 84, who lost $200,000. Oliver spoke with Mainstreet after the conviction about how he got embroiled in the scam.
At a Monday press conference, officials with the FBI, IRS, United States Attorney’s Office and GPD announced the sentence against Sathawane and warned that other scammers would also be targeted for arrest — with Florida is on the front line of these investigations.
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida John Heekin said Oliver took the right steps after realizing the fraud.
“He helped turn the hunters into the hunted, and we were able to catch Sathawane in the act and ultimately secure his conviction of these crimes,” Heekin said.
When arrested, Sathawane was residing in the United States illegally after overstaying his student visa. He’s from India and officials said the international scheme included orchestrators in India and multiple domestic couriers.
Sathawane was arrested in a sting operation at Oliver’s condo near Biven’s Arm. Oliver had contacted GPD after realizing he had fallen for a fraud when Sathawane first visited to take possession of 68 gold coins used as payment. He was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to commit money laundering.
GPD Chief Nelson Moya thanked the partner agencies and his staff who worked to bring the case to completion nearly one year after Oliver was defrauded.
“Fraud complaints come into our office daily,” Moya said. “We do our best to triage them. In this case, we knew right away that this was something that needed our immediate attention.”
GPD Detective Justin Torres said at the Monday press conference that Oliver’s report became an immediate priority because the scammers were still in contact, allowing officers to set up a fake payment and arrest.
According to trial evidence, Sathawane primarily operated in Florida, including Jacksonville, Boca Raton and Coral Gables. But he also took trips to Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey and New York to pick up payments. None of the cash or gold was recovered, and Heekin said as soon as the money is handed over, it changes hands, gets laundered and is lost.
FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley said Florida is in the top three states for fraud reports and total losses because of these schemes. He said fraud cases are already trending higher in Florida, with double the number of complaints so far in 2026.
The FBI received fraud reports that totaled $16 billion in 2025, Carley said.
“This man did not just steal money, he targeted trust, exploited fear and preyed on our most vulnerable members of our community, eroding the sense of security they had,” Carley said. “But cases like this are just a piece of a bigger problem that is widespread, and Florida is on the front line.”
Carley said government agencies will never call with threats of arrest or fines. He said fraudsters can sound like the real deal, but government agencies will never require gold, cash, gift cards or cryptocurrency payments or meet in person for the exchange.
“If something feels off or seems too good to be true, it is,” Carley said. “Don’t believe it. I want people to be suspicious when they get these types of calls. Resist the pressure to act quickly.”
IRS-Criminal Investigations Special Agent in Charge Ronald Loecker addressed the family and friends of elderly adults. He said you should speak with loved ones about scams and plan a response before the phone rings with a fraudster on the other end.
His advice: just hang up. He said that a simple message and action will send the fraudster down the road looking for another victim and save your loved one hundreds, thousands or millions of dollars.
Loecker also had a message for scammers working in the state. Florida has built an outstanding investigative team and coalition of agencies to work on the fraud cases.
“We have an outstanding investigative team here in Florida,” Loecker said. “Our partnerships from the state, local and federal law enforcement are going to work tirelessly to put you in jail for the crimes you commit. Do not think that your minor role in simply being a courier gives you a free pass. You’re going to end up in jail.”
Oliver also spoke. He emphasized using your local law enforcement agency to double-check claims sent over the phone or by email. He said many of the victims in this case were told that their identities had been tied to drug smuggling, money laundering and illegal firearm sales.
Oliver said some victims received alleged warrants for their arrest with calls for gold payments. Oliver said that’s when victims need to slow down, go to their local law enforcement and get the information verified.
He added that the only reason payment must be made in gold is because it can’t be tracked. That’s a sign of a scam, Oliver said, who had to take a part-time job after getting scammed.
“If this information gets out into the public, we’re not going to be able to stop it, but perhaps, just maybe, we can slow it down a little bit,” Oliver said.
