Feds take over case of Michigan man busted in fake gold sting operation in Avon

The case of a Michigan man who allegedly came to Avon to scam elderly victims out of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars is now in federal court. Kevil S. Naik, 29, of Battle Creek, Michigan, was one of four defendants indicted Oct. 7 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on federal money laundering charges. Naik is charged with one count of money laundering conspiracy and four counts of concealment of money laundering. With federal charges filed, felony charges of theft from the elderly, tampering with evidence and possession of criminal tools against Naik were dismissed Oct. 23 in Lorain County Common Pleas Court, according to court records. Also charged are Dixit Jasvant Patel, who is being held in a county jail in Wisconsin, as well as Jatinkumar Dashrathbhai Patel and Akashdeep Singh. Jatinkumar Patel was being held on a U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detainer, according to federal court records. As of Oct. 23, Singh was being held in the Barren County Detention Center in Glasgow, Kentucky, federal court records said. Naik pleaded not guilty at his Oct. 26 arraignment in federal court in Toledo and is free on bond. He is represented by the Federal Public Defender's Office. Conditions of his bond were that he surrender his U.S. passport, not travel outside Michigan or the Northern District of Ohio, undergo a mental health evaluation and follow the orders of federal probation officers. Between December 2024 and August 2026, the defendants allegedly committed wire fraud and money laundering crimes in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and elsewhere, according to their indictment. Through alleged scams, Naik obtained 23 1-oz. gold bars worth just over $96,000 and $65,000 in cash on July 25, another $43,000 in cash on July 29 and 55 1-oz. gold coins worth $233,171 on July 30, according to his charges. In total, the FBI told Avon police, Naik may have picked up approximately $925,000 in cash and payments from scam victims in multiple states using rental cars and also a car belonging to a female relative, according to documents reviewed by The Chronicle-Telegram. Dixit Patel and Jatinkumar Patel allegedly ran similar schemes in February and April, obtaining more than $420,719 worth of gold bars. From July 22-24, Singh obtained more than $356,000 in gold bars and gold coins, according to federal court records. The schemes are familiar and common, according to descriptions given in court records by federal prosecutors and FBI agents: An FBI agent wrote in a sworn affidavit filed May 18 in U.S. District Court that Dixit Patel scammed an elderly married couple from Greenwich in Huron County out of $394,644 in February and March this year. One of the victims received a pop-up notification on their computer that it was disabled and were given a number to call to reach Apple support services. The person on the other end, the FBI alleged, was one of the scammers pretending to be an Apple technician named "Verlon Izenberg." (No such person appears to exist, according to a quick Google search done by a Chronicle reporter.) "Izenberg" told the couple their computer and cellphones were compromised and that child pornography had been purchased using their bank accounts. He gave them a number to call an alleged "bank security manager" named "Mark Reed." That man told them they "needed to secure their money by turning it over to the government while the investigation was ongoing," according to the affidavit. Sworn to secrecy, the victims were told to hand over more than $200,000 in gold bars to a man with an Indian accent who showed up at their house in a Toyota Venza SUV on Feb. 6. One of the victims became suspicious because they had seen the SUV near their house earlier that day. Still, "Reed" later called the victims and was able to convince them to wire another $194,000 in four payments to a bank account in Kentucky over the next month. The couple finally realized they had been scammed and the FBI was called on March 23. Illinois records showed the SUV was registered to Dixit Patel, and the FBI determined his cellphone had been within less than a mile of the victims' home on Feb. 6. Dixit Patel was arrested May 9 after allegedly scamming a Wisconsin resident out of more than $298,000. The FBI said he admitted running the scam in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan and Minnesota, while a fourth victim in Illinois allegedly lost another $180,000 to Dixit Patel. Naik allegedly scammed an elderly Bay Village woman out of $164,000 in July, authorities said, including money she converted into gold bars. Federal and local authorities set up a sting operation and arrested Naik after he picked up a box containing fake gold in Avon on Aug. 4. Contact Dave O'Brien at 440-329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. AVOIDING SCAMS No U.S. government, state or local agency will ever demand payment of fines, fees or taxes in gold bars, gold coins, Amazon, Walmart, Apple or other retail gift cards. If this happens to you, call the police.