Two men arrested by law enforcement during a sting operation last month in Petersburg have pleaded not guilty. A third suspect remains at large.
Petersburg police arrested Shubaum Patel, 24, and Harshilkumar Patel, 22, on June 9 with assistance from the FBI, as suspects allegedly connected to an elaborate phone scam that stole over $100,000 from an elderly resident.
A grand jury indicted the suspects on June 18 in Juneau.
Both men face federal charges for theft and scheme to defraud — along with a third suspect, who investigators identified as Utkarsh Mishra, 28.
Shubaum Patel is charged with two felony counts for scheme to defraud and two counts for first-degree theft. Harshilkumar Patel is charged with one felony count for scheme to defraud and one for first-degree theft.
Alaska State Troopers issued an arrest warrant for the third suspect, Utkarsh Mishra, on June 20. Mishra is also charged with one felony count for scheme to defraud and one for first-degree theft.
Prosecutors allege that Shubham Patel first visited Petersburg with Mishra in May to pick up some $50,000 cash from an elderly resident who had already wired $80,000 to callers falsely posing as federal government officials.
The victim, who has asked not to be named, told investigators that a fake Drug Enforcement Administration agent using the alias “Sean Watson” said she was under investigation for drug trafficking and convinced her to give them money under the false pretense that her identity was stolen. The investigation found Mishra and Shubham’s names connected to thousands of dollars in gift cards and USPS money orders purchased locally in May, when the first in-person money delivery reportedly occurred.
After the victim was contacted by “Watson” again later and told to deliver an additional $60,000 cash to another “undercover agent,” local police and the FBI set up the sting operation, arresting Shubham Patel and Harshilkumar Patel when they obtained the cash from the victim in Petersburg.
Both men are citizens of India and not related. They are individually represented by state-appointed public attorneys in Juneau, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Harshilkumar is a Master’s student at a school in Boston. According to investigators, he told officers he was recruited by Shubham and brought into the situation shortly before traveling to Alaska in June, but had reservations about being involved and claimed not to know the people giving him instructions for the exchange or what the money was for. His alleged later involvement was factored into Superior Court Judge Katherine Lybrand’s decision on Monday, June 30, to reduce his bail from $100,000 to $55,000.
Shubham’s bail remains set at $300,000 total.
Both men are in custody at Lemon Creek Correctional Center in Juneau with jury trials scheduled for the fall.
Shubaum’s trial date is currently set for August 25, 2025. Harshilkumar’s trial is slated for September 22, 2025.
Resources for avoiding scams are available online from the FBI.
