An illegal alien from Nepal who is accused of scamming a Fairhope couple is now in custody after his alleged partner in crime was arrested in December 2025.
Saurav Sharma was taken into custody in Georgia.
Sharma and Pradeep Patel, of India, are accused of running an illegal online operation. They are charged with federal conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
The victims from Fairhope told investigators that the wife received a pop-up message on her iPad warning her account was compromised. She transferred money to rectify the fraudulent warning. The couple was convinced to allow the hackers to access their computer to purchase gold bars. The bars were shipped to the couple’s home, where Patel and Sharma allegedly traveled to pick them up.
Patel, who was in the United States with an expired visa, was also linked to scams in South Carolina and Mississippi.
Sharma’s visa expired in 2023. Both defendants are expected to go on trial in federal court in August. They are considered innocent until proven guilty.
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