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Ravinklejeet Mathon pleaded guilty this week and will face 40 years behind bars after scheming to steal three one-kilo gold bars with an estimated value of nearly $230,000 from an elderly man in Silver Spring.
"The scam is believed to be part of an international organized crime ring," prosecutors said. "Similar Gold Bar Scams have been reported here in Montgomery County and across the United States."
According to court documents, the Silver Spring man was duped during a phone scam and was tricked into purchasing gold bars after it was inferred his identity was stolen, and his savings were in danger.
At the scammer's direction, the man purchased the three gold bars that "would later need to be packaged and turned over to a suspect posing as a federal agent who would "keep the gold safe in a federal vault until a new Social Security number could be issued."
In May, the suspects arranged for the bars to be picked up by a courier, Mathon, who was taken into custody after picking up the package.
Mathon pleaded guilty to charges of attempted theft over $100,000 and conspiracy to commit theft over $100,000.
"This is organized crime on an international level, and vulnerable victims in our community are being targeted," State's Attorney John McCarthy said. "We understand the devastating nature of this form of fraud and the State will seek a sentence that reflects the seriousness of the offense."
Mathon is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
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