HOUSTON: An Indian national serving a federal prison sentence in the United States has pleaded guilty to participating in a mail fraud conspiracy targeting elderly victims, including a 93-year-old woman who was tricked into sending $45,000, according to the US Department of Justice.
Sumit Kumar Singh, 32, admitted to conspiracy to commit mail fraud while incarcerated for an earlier mail fraud conviction involving elderly victims. The guilty plea was announced on October 15 by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
According to investigators, Singh obtained a contraband mobile phone in prison in 2025 and used it to communicate with others involved in a scheme that combined mail fraud and money laundering.
The group allegedly impersonated PayPal representatives and federal government officials, misleading victims into believing they needed to transfer or mail money that would subsequently be returned to them.
In one instance, a 93-year-old woman from North Dakota was instructed to send a $45,000 cheque. She was falsely assured that US Attorney General Pam Bondi would help her secure a replacement identification card and recover the money.
Despite being behind bars, Singh allegedly remained involved in the operation. Using the smuggled phone, he sent messages to a number in India, including a photograph of a bank receipt indicating that the victim’s cheque had been deposited in Edinburg, Texas.
US District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. accepted Singh’s guilty plea and scheduled his sentencing for December 21, 2026. Singh faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison and a potential fine of up to $250,000. He will remain in custody until sentencing.
The US Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. Assistant US Attorney Belinda Beek is prosecuting it, with assistance from prosecutors Whitney Ohlausen and Lesley Brooks of the Northern District of Texas.
