Venkateswara Chagamreddy, 27, of San Antonio, Texas, has been convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a case involving impersonation and financial scams targeting elderly victims, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma said.
According to prosecutors, the fraud began in August 2025 when a victim contacted what he believed to be Microsoft technical support.
During the call, he was falsely told that criminal activity had been detected on his computer and that his details would be shared with federal authorities.
The victim was later contacted by a person posing as a federal officer, who provided a fake badge number and claimed the victim’s identity had been used in federal crimes.
He was instructed to convert his money into gold and hand it over to an “officer.” After complying, the victim was approached again for additional funds.
Suspicious, he contacted a family member, who identified the scheme as a scam and alerted law enforcement.
Working with the victim, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office arranged a controlled operation. Chagamreddy was arrested when he arrived to collect more assets. Authorities recovered $500 in cash, a mobile phone, and 23 ounces of gold from his vehicle.
At trial, investigators presented evidence from Chagamreddy’s phone showing coordination with co-conspirators and involvement in multiple fraud cases within a short span of time.
Officials said he had travelled across states, including a trip from Austin to North Carolina to collect gold from an 87-year-old woman, which he later handed over to another individual.
Further evidence showed that he drove across Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma while receiving instructions, sharing location updates, and coordinating pickups.
In one case, he was given details of a 75-year-old woman, and in another, he was provided a photo of a victim identified by a Vietnam veteran T-shirt.
Chagamreddy remained in contact with his associates while trying to locate a victim’s rural residence before being arrested by deputies.
According to the Department of Justice, more than 280 enforcement actions were taken in 2025 against over 600 individuals involved in fraud schemes targeting Americans, particularly senior citizens.
Reported losses exceeded $2.3 billion, with investment fraud and fake tech support scams among the most common.
Chagamreddy will remain in custody pending sentencing.
The case was investigated by the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Greenough and Augustus Forster prosecuted the case.