TORONTO — Canadian authorities have arrested an Indian national at Toronto Pearson International Airport in connection with a $7.5 million fraud scheme that targeted elderly citizens across the United States.
The suspect, identified as 21-year-old Jay Sunilbharthi Goswami, a native of Gujarat, India who had been residing in Jersey City, New Jersey, was apprehended following an urgent extradition request from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Scam Tactics and Operation
According to U.S. federal prosecutors, the fraud ring operated by deceiving victims aged between 59 and 87 into believing their bank accounts, funds, or personal information were severely compromised. Manipulated by threats, victims were persuaded to liquidate their savings into physical cash or gold bars.
Investigators allege that Goswami acted as a key “money mule” in the network. On at least nine separate occasions across New York and New Jersey, he personally collected or coordinated the pickup of cash and gold directly from the victims to deliver to co-conspirators.
Attempted Flight and Extradition
Goswami was initially charged with wire fraud, money laundering, and related conspiracy offenses in a U.S. federal court, where he was granted conditional bail on August 17. However, he crossed into Canada via the Peace Bridge shortly after his release.
U.S. law enforcement traced his movements and discovered he had booked an outbound flight from Toronto to Doha, Qatar. Canadian immigration authorities initially detained him at Pearson International Airport before executing a formal arrest under the U.S. extradition warrant.
If extradited and convicted in the United States, Goswami faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison. Legal teams from the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs are coordinating with Canadian authorities to finalize his transfer
