India- and New Jersey-Based Jeweler Admits Multimillion-Dollar International Trade Fraud Scheme and Unlicensed Money Transmitting

NEWARK, NJ. – An India- and New Jersey-based man who operated jewelry companies in New York City’s Diamond District admitted today to spearheading a scheme to illegally evade customs duties for more than $13.5 million of jewelry imports into the United States and with illegally processing more than $10.3 million through an unlicensed money transmitting business, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Monishkumar Kirankumar Doshi Shah, aka “Monish Doshi Shah, 39, of Mumbai, India, and Jersey City, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and operating and aiding and abetting the operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From December 2019 through April 2022, Shah engaged in a scheme to evade duties for shipments of jewelry from Turkey and India to the United States. Shah would ship and/or instruct his conspirators to ship goods from Turkey or India – which would have been subject to an approximately 5.5 percent duty if shipped directly to the United States – to one of Shah’s companies in South Korea. Shah’s conspirators in South Korea would change the labels on the jewelry to state that they were from South Korea instead of Turkey or India, and then ship them to Shah or his customers in the United States, thereby unlawfully evading the duty. Shah would also make and instruct his customers to make fake invoices and packing lists to make it look like Shah’s South Korean companies were actually ordering jewelry from Turkey or India. Shah also instructed a third-party shipping company to provide false information to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) concerning the origin of the jewelry. During the scheme, Shah shipped approximately $13.5 million of jewelry from South Korea to the United States without paying the appropriate duty.

From July 2020 through November 2021, Shah owned and/or operated numerous jewelry companies in New York City’s Diamond District, including MKore LLC, MKore USA Inc., and Vruman Corp. Shah used these entities to conduct more than $10.3 million in illegal financial transactions for customers, including converting cash to checks or wire transfers. Shah would also collect cash from customers and use other individuals’ jewelry companies to convert the cash into wires or checks. At times, Shah and other members of the money transmitting business moved hundreds of thousands of dollars in a single day. In exchange for their services, Shah or other members of the money transmitting business charged a fee. None of Shah’s or his associates’ companies were registered as money transmitting businesses with New York, New Jersey, or the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

As part of his plea agreement, Shah agreed to pay restitution to CBP in the amount of $742,500 for the wire fraud scheme and forfeiture in the amount of $11.13 million for the wire fraud and unlicensed money transmitting schemes.

The wire fraud conspiracy charge is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison. The charge of operating and aiding and abetting the operation of an illegal money transmitting business carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Each count is also punishable by a maximum fine of either $250,000 or twice the gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 23, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents and task force officers of IRS – Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan in Newark; special agents of  Homeland Security Investigations New York, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Darren B. McCormack; special agents of Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker; and special agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Port of New York/Newark, under the direction of Port Director TenaVel Thomas, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanked U.S. Customs and Border Protection in New York; Homeland Security Investigations in Seoul, South Korea; the Korea Customs Service in South Korea; the Seoul Customs Special Investigation Office in South Korea; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Paterson; the Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department; the Morristown Police Department; the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General; and the Justice Department’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS).

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marko Pesce and Olta Bejleri of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.