Tampa Man Sentenced For Money Laundering Conspiracy And Operating An Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business
2025-09-09 · Press release
Summary: Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Pratikbhai Patel (32, Tampa) to three years and five months in federal prison for conspiring to commit money laundering and for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. As part of his sentence, Patel also agreed to pay more than $650,000 in restitution and forfeiture obligations. Patel previously pled guilty in two different cases. The first was on March 26, 2025, for conspiring to commit money laundering; the second on April 23, 2025, for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Pratikbhai Patel (32, Tampa) to three years and five months in federal prison for conspiring to commit money laundering and for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. As part of his sentence, Patel also agreed to pay more than $650,000 in restitution and forfeiture obligations. Patel previously pled guilty in two different cases. The first was on March 26, 2025, for conspiring to commit money laundering; the second on April 23, 2025, for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
According to court documents, from July through October 2018, Patel acted as a “runner” for an overseas call center scheme where conspirators falsely identified themselves as law enforcement officers and threatened victims with imminent arrest, lawsuit, or other economic consequences unless the victims made immediate payments to other conspirators. Patel received wired funds from victims in his business account, quickly withdrew the money before the victims disputed the wire transfer, then turned over the fraud proceeds to another conspirator.
In a second case, from about September 2020 to February 2023, Patel used business accounts in the names of “Tampa Smoke Shop LLC” and “Mamba Distro LLC” to make same-day cash deposits that were then transferred to other entities with no known business purpose. In total, he completed 235 wire transfers in this manner to 115 unique counterparties in exchange for a fee between 1% and 1.5% of the wired funds. Patel was never licensed with the State of Florida to operate a money transmitting business.
“The defendant preyed on vulnerable victims to satisfy his greed,” said Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker, IRS Criminal Investigation Tampa Field Office. “This prosecution should serve as a warning to those intent on exploiting others through financial crimes. IRS-CI will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to investigate complex fraud and money laundering schemes to protect our communities.”
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Suzanne Huyler and Dan Baeza.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multiagency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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- https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/tampa-man-sentenced-money-laundering-conspiracy-and-operating-unlicensed-money
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| participant_id | name | role | title | organization | location | age | nationality | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3775 | Thomas P. Barber | judge | U.S. District Judge | U.S. District Court | Tampa, FL | |||
| 3776 | Pratikbhai Patel | defendant | Tampa | 32 | sentenced | |||
| 3777 | Ron Loecker | Special Agent in Charge | Special Agent in Charge | IRS Criminal Investigation | Tampa, FL | |||
| 3778 | Suzanne Huyler | prosecutor | Assistant United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | Tampa, FL | |||
| 3779 | Dan Baeza | prosecutor | Assistant United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | Tampa, FL |
| agency_id | agency_name | abbreviation | role | office_location | agents_mentioned | contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2360 | Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation | IRS-CI | investigation | Tampa Field Office | Ron Loecker | Investigated the fraud and money laundering schemes, collaborated with other agencies. |
| 2361 | U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration | investigation | Participated in the investigation of the case. | |||
| 2362 | United States Attorney's Office | prosecution | Suzanne Huyler, Dan Baeza | Prosecuted the case. | ||
| 2363 | Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force | OCDETF | investigation | Part of the multiagency task force that investigated the case. |
| charge_id | charge_description | statute | severity | max_penalty | fine_amount | defendant | status | participant_id | cl_docket_id | count_num | is_1960 | verified_1960 | source | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2112 | Conspiring to Commit Money Laundering | Pratikbhai Patel | pleaded guilty | 0 | enrichment | |||||||||
| 2113 | Operating an Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business | Pratikbhai Patel | pleaded guilty | 0 | enrichment |
| fin_id | action_type | amount | currency | description | asset_type | defendant | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 524 | restitution | $650,000 | USD | as part of sentence for money laundering conspiracy and unlicensed money transmitting business | Pratikbhai Patel | ordered | |
| 525 | forfeiture | $650,000 | USD | as part of sentence for money laundering conspiracy and unlicensed money transmitting business | Pratikbhai Patel | ordered |
| victim_id | victim_type | description | number_affected | loss_amount | geographic_scope | vulnerability_factors | impact_description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 575 | individual | victims threatened by fake law enforcement with arrest or lawsuits to make payments | 650000 | vulnerable | Financial losses from fraudulent payments due to threats |
| quote_id | quote_text | speaker_name | speaker_title | speaker_organization | quote_type | context | significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 456 | The defendant preyed on vulnerable victims to satisfy his greed | Ron Loecker | Special Agent in Charge | IRS Criminal Investigation Tampa Field Office | statement | Commenting on Patel's criminal conduct during sentencing announcement | Highlights the predatory nature of the defendant's actions against victims |
| 457 | This prosecution should serve as a warning to those intent on exploiting others through financial crimes. IRS-CI will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to investigate complex fraud and money laundering schemes to protect our communities | Ron Loecker | Special Agent in Charge | IRS Criminal Investigation Tampa Field Office | statement | Emphasizing deterrent effect of prosecution and ongoing law enforcement collaboration | Stresses the importance of interagency cooperation in combating financial crimes |
| theme_id | theme_name | description | significance | related_statutes | geographic_scope | temporal_aspects | stakeholders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2801 | Money Laundering Conspiracy | Patel acted as a 'runner' for an overseas call center scheme, receiving wired funds from victims under fraudulent pretenses, withdrawing money before disputes, and transferring proceeds to conspirators. | Central to Patel's criminal conduct, enabling concealment of illicit funds and facilitating fraud. | 18 U.S.C. § 1956, 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h) | International | Historical trend (2018) | Law enforcement, Financial institutions, Victims |
| 2802 | Unlicensed Money Transmitting Business | Patel operated businesses (Tampa Smoke Shop LLC and Mamba Distro LLC) to conduct 235 wire transfers to 115 counterparties without Florida licensing, charging fees. | Violated state and federal licensing requirements, enabling unregulated financial transactions. | 18 U.S.C. § 1960, Florida Statutes § 560.105 | National | Recent development (2020–2023) | Law enforcement, State regulators, Financial institutions |
| 2803 | Financial Exploitation of Vulnerable Victims | Conspirators impersonated law enforcement to threaten victims with arrest or lawsuits, coercing payments into Patel's accounts. | Highlighted the targeting of vulnerable individuals to perpetrate fraud and money laundering. | 18 U.S.C. § 1343 (wire fraud), 18 U.S.C. § 2425 (online coercion) | International | Historical trend (2018) | Victims, Law enforcement |
| 2804 | Organized Crime Task Force Collaboration | The case was part of an OCDETF investigation involving multiagency collaboration to dismantle criminal networks. | Demonstrates coordinated efforts to combat complex financial crimes. | null | National | Ongoing program | Law enforcement agencies, Prosecutors |
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