Massachusetts Man Charged and Detained in Ongoing Elder Fraud Investigation

PROVIDENCE – A citizen of India currently residing in Dorchester, MA on a student visa has been ordered detained on a federal criminal complaint for his alleged role in a conspiracy targeting Rhode Island seniors, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.

Samyag Uday Doshi, 25, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Amy E. Moses on November 17, 2025 for his initial appearance following his arrest.  He has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. It is alleged that he participated in a scheme that caused a Rhode Island resident to turn over $54,000 in cash, with an attempted loss amount totaling more than $385,000.

According to allegations in the criminal complaint, law enforcement received a call for service regarding a Newport resident who was suspected to be the victim of an elder abuse financial fraud scam.  The individual received a voicemail on his cellular phone regarding a phony purchase and was instructed to call a telephone number provided to him to address the issue.  When he called the number, scammers falsely told him that he was speaking with a federal official and was under investigation for a myriad of charges, including money laundering.  The scammers represented that they could assist the individual through the investigation.

Over the course of approximately three weeks, scammers directed the individual to make multiple cash withdrawals of tens of thousands of dollars and to then mail the funds out of state or provide the funds to “couriers,” whom he met in person in Rhode Island.  The individual also made multiple inquiries about purchasing hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of gold bars.  These inquiries are believed to have been directed by members of the conspiracy.

           On November 17, 2025, the scammers attempted to arrange for the victim to deliver an additional $45,000 in cash.  The victim contacted law enforcement, who surveilled the delivery as it was made, as is alleged, to Doshi, who was arrested at the meet spot.

A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S Attorney Taylor A. Dean.

The matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)-Providence and the Newport Police Department, with assistance from HSI-Chicago.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Rhode Island comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, U.S. Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Intelligence & Analysis, and Rhode Island Police Departments in Warwick, Newport, Providence, East Providence, and Lincoln, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island.