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An Irving, Texas, businessman of Indian origin was arrested Oct. 26, by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on a complaint charging him with carrying out a scam impersonating Internal Revenue Service agents to scare people into paying money they did not owe.
Narasimha Bhogavalli, 50, is accused of allegedly defrauding victims of their money and then transferring the money between accounts and wiring to India. The amount he is accused of raising through the alleged scam totals around $1.6 million. The U.S. Attorney’s office has 30 days to present the matter to a grand jury for indictment. The maximum statutory penalty for the charged offense is 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
According to the complaint filed by federal authorities, victims from throughout the U.S. were contacted by individuals claiming to be IRS agents. They were told there were outstanding warrants for their arrest and they would be sent to jail unless they deposited money orders, and sometimes cash, into bank accounts controlled by Bhogavalli and other accounts used by co-conspirators in the scam.
Bhogavalli used at least two Bank of America accounts in the scam, one in the name of Tekdynamics, Inc. and one in the name of Touchstone Commodities, Inc. The investigation revealed that Bhogavalli also controlled additional accounts used in the money soliciting scam, including a Citibank account held in the name of Touchstone Commodities.
Between November 5, 2014, and February 2, 2015, approximately 242 deposits of cash and money orders, totaling approximately $1,661,247, which includes at least 2,250 separate money orders totaling $1,493,848 were made in one of the Bank of America accounts.
During the two-week period, between approximately January 16, 2015, and January 30, 2015, at least 60 money orders, totaling $37,957 were deposited into the other Bank of America account. Between November 4, 2014, and February 5, 2015, at least 128 money orders, totaling $96,716 were deposited into the Citibank account.
A financial analysis of those accounts, according to the complaint, shows that immediately following the deposits made by the victims of the money soliciting scam, the proceeds were wire transferred to other accounts Bhogavalli controlled, where he either spent the funds or wired the funds to accounts in other countries, such as India. Numerous wire transfers were made in amounts greater than $10,000.
According to the complaint, investigators found records indicating Bhogavalli was listed as the Director of Touchstone Commodities, located at 1425 Greenway Drive, Suite 650, in Irving. In account opening documents, Bhogavalli characterized Touchstone Commodities as an “import-export” business. On its website, Touchstone Commodities is “experienced in the global sourcing and supply of many valuable commodities,” including iron ore, steel and wood chips. Bhogavalli is listed as Chairman of Touchstone Commodities on its website.
Records indicate Bhogavalli was listed as President of Tekdynamics. According to information on the Tekdynamics website, Tekdynamics is a provider of “technology, outsourcing and consulting needs” with established infrastructure in the U.S. and India. Tekdynamics address is listed as 1425 Greenway Drive, Suite 650, in Irving, according to the complaint.
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