Venkateswara Chagamreddy, 27, an Indian man living in Texas on a student visa, was convicted of defrauding a 79-year-old Vietnam veteran in Delaware County. In August 2025, the old man called a phone number he thought was Microsoft Support. He was informed that criminal activity had been detected on his computer and that federal officials would contact him to provide further advice.Another man said he impersonated a federal officer and provided a false badge number. Impersonating a federal official told the victim that his identity was stolen and provided to criminals, resulting in him being “under investigation” and that his identity was used to commit a federal crime.The victim was told that his money needed to be converted into gold and submitted to the Treasury. The victim agreed and handed over a large amount of gold to a fake police officer.When the victim contacted again seeking more money, he contacted a family member who told him he had been scammed and that no government agency would ask for gold from any individual. This time, Chagareddy came to collect the package and was arrested. Evidence presented to the jury showed he had $500 in cash, a cell phone and 23 ounces of gold in his car.
Who is Venkateswara Chagam Reddy? What is his gold scam?
While law enforcement has uncovered a large gold fraud ring, investigators say Chagam Reddy was working with another co-conspirator. He was a courier and used to travel across states to collect packages from victims. For example, when he was arrested, his messages proved he was connected to numerous elderly victims. He even flew from Austin to North Carolina, where he picked up gold and delivered it to his co-conspirators.During the trip, he often provided status updates, location, and fuel levels to co-conspirators.At the time of his arrest, Chagamreddy told law enforcement that he was in the United States on a student visa and was at risk of deportation after being suspended. He said he had recently left the state to attend another college and when he returned, the gold was in his car.