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undefined | Two Indian-origin men charged in $116,000 mail fraud in Georgia, Mihir Patel used to pose as 'David Williams'

Two Indian‑origin men, Mihir Patel and Himanshubhai Barot, have been indicted for a mail‑fraud scheme that operated in Georgia during March 2021. Posing as law‑enforcement officials and other authority figures, they called victims across the United States and demanded that the callers send cash‑only “legal‑fee” payments, ranging from $10,000 to $30,000, to specific retail locations in central Georgia. Over a fifteen‑day period the duo convinced at least seven victims from seven different states to mail the cash to stores in Houston, Bibb, and Warner Robins counties, where Patel collected the packages using a counterfeit ID bearing the name “David Williams.”

The money trail revealed that the conspirators received more than $116,000 in total: $20,500 from Oregon, $10,000 from Nevada, $16,000 from Maryland, $10,000 from New York, $20,000 and $10,000 from California, $30,000 from Minnesota, all addressed to a single “David Williams.” After retrieving the mailed cash, Patel and Barot photographed and video‑recorded the packages being opened and circulated the footage among their co‑conspirators. Prosecutors noted that Barot was in the United States without legal status at the time of the fraud.

Both men have now been charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, and the indictment was filed on March 10, 2026. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia is also seeking forfeiture of any assets derived from the scheme. The case underscores a growing pattern of cross‑state mail scams that exploit victims’ trust in perceived authority figures, and it highlights ongoing law‑enforcement efforts to dismantle such fraud networks.