02/15/2024

India-based computer-hacking scam that targeted elderly across the country and stole $150,000 from a Kalispell woman sends Indian national to prison for more than four years

United States Attorney's Office District of Montana

MISSOULA — A federal judge today sentenced an Indian national to four years and three months in prison for his role in stealing $150,000 from a Kalispell woman through an international computer-hacking scheme that targeted elderly Americans nationwide and resulted in more than $1.2 million in total losses, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Sukhdev Vaid, 24, of Haryana, India, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to wire fraud.

U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided. The court further ordered that upon release from custody, Vaid will be remanded to the Bureau of Customs and Immigration Enforcement for deportation and ordered Vaid to pay $1,236,470 restitution.

“It has become all too common for people outside of our country to victimize Montanans, especially as it relates to wire fraud, and get away with it. But not this time. Vaid is going to federal prison due to the sophistication and tenacity of the FBI, for which I am grateful. We will continue to be relentless in tracking down these criminals who prey on our trusting impulses, and we are confident such efforts will result in these fraudsters ending up in the same place as Vaid,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

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