Indian student in Canada sentenced to four years in U.S. senior fraud scheme

A 22-year-old Indian national who was studying in Canada has been sentenced to four years in prison in the United States after being convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with a multimillion-dollar fraud targeting seniors.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Roshan Shah entered the United States multiple times on a visitor visa while studying in Canada and collected approximately US$3.7 million from 15 elderly victims in several states. Authorities allege the scheme relied on callers based in India who falsely claimed the victims' identities had been linked to criminal activity and instructed them to surrender cash or gold to a supposed federal agent for safekeeping.

Prosecutors said Shah acted as that purported federal agent, collecting money and valuables directly from victims. According to court records cited by the U.S. Attorney's Office, he was arrested in the summer of 2025 while attempting to collect money from another victim in New Berlin, Wisconsin. He was later convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering and sentenced to four years in federal prison.

U.S. authorities have not disclosed when Shah arrived in Canada, where he lived, or which post-secondary institution he attended. The investigation focused on his alleged role in the cross-border fraud scheme and did not provide additional details about his Canadian studies.