PHOENIX, ARIZ. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Arizona), published as received.

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Ajay Kumar, 24, of Los Angeles, California, pleaded guilty on July 28, to Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 8, 2026, before United States District Judge John J. Tuchi. 

According to his plea, Kumar’s co-conspirators contacted victims posing as government employees, falsely claiming that the victims’ accounts had been compromised. The callers told victims they needed to move their funds to a government account to keep the funds safe. In some cases, co-conspirators maintained contact with the victims for weeks, convincing them to withdraw cash or purchase gold, which was then collected by individuals posing as government agents. 

In December 2024, Kumar attempted to pick up approximately $500,000 in gold bullion from a victim in Arizona. As part of his plea, Kumar admitted he traveled to locations throughout the United States to collect cash and gold from victims to deliver it to the co-conspirators in the Phantom Hacker Scheme.

A conviction for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

The FBI’s Phoenix Division conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adriana Genco, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

Phantom hacker scams and government impersonation scams are increasingly prevalent and disproportionately affect elderly victims. Fraudsters in these schemes typically pose as government agents and pressure victims to act quickly to transfer their money to the perpetrators. The public is urged to remain vigilant, verify the identity of anyone requesting financial transactions, and report suspicious activity to law enforcement. The government will never call individuals to instruct them to transfer funds to the government. The government will never instruct a person to transfer assets into gold bullion. The government will never instruct a person to deliver funds to a “courier” who comes to the person’s residence. Educating potential victims and their families is a key component in preventing these crimes and minimizing financial harm. 

If you or someone you know is a victim of elder fraud, we encourage you to call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311). The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. eastern time. Services are available for speakers of English, Spanish, and other languages. Victims can also report the fraud to the FBI by filing a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (“IC3”) at https://www.ic3.gov/ by clicking the red “File A Complaint” button. Victims should be sure to include all available information about the scam.

CASE NUMBER:            CR-25-00597-PHX-JJT
RELEASE NUMBER:    2026-130_Kumar 

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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