Man accused in Kenosha gold bar scam arrested in court
By James Stratton
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KENOSHA, Wis. (WISN) — Chintan Thakkar, 44, voluntarily walked into the Kenosha County intake court Wednesday afternoon. Prosecutors previously charged him with felony theft and money laundering of more than $100,000.
Thakkar and Jagdishkumar Nandani are accused of scamming a Kenosha woman out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in gold bars.
“They’re ruining the lives of all seniors, it’s senior exploitation, it’s abuse,” said the victim in the case, who agreed to do an interview with 12 News, but didn’t want her name shared.
A man who called her eventually convinced her that her bank accounts had been hacked and were being used for crime. She told WISN 12 News someone on the phone convinced her he was a federal agent and it was safer to transfer her life savings to gold.
The woman gave away $332,750 in gold on March 1 and $139,500 on March 15 at her home on Kenosha’s north side. Prosecutors say Nandani was the courier in the scheme, picking up gold from the victim. In total, she tells 12 News she lost more than $653,000 and sold her house because she thought it was part of the scheme.
Prosecutors say Thakkar and Nandani were getting orders from a WhatsApp text group from overseas.
“The group was used to communicate instructions for pickups and provided photographs of money, gold, and victim information,” Kenosha District Attorney Xavier Solis said.
Thakkar’s attorney moved to dismiss the case in court Wednesday.
“There’s nothing that alleges or provides probable cause to believe my client was involved in any way with the case that is charged here in Kenosha County,” attorney Carl Johnson said.
Court Commissioner William Michel denied the motion and ordered Thakkar to be taken into custody and held on a $25,000 bond. Bailiffs arrested him in court after the hearing was finished. His attorney told the court he had enough cash to post bail.
Thakkar’s attorney had no comment for 12 News. A warrant is still out for the arrest of Nandani, according to Wisconsin court records.
12 News has been investigating gold bar schemes for more than a year. Government officials warn that they will never request that you buy gold or other precious metals. If you believe you have been scammed, the FBI wants you to report it here.
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