New Jersey man sentenced to prison for stealing $500K in gold from Lehigh County senior

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A New Jersey man was sentenced Thursday to up to three years in state prison for scamming a 74-year-old Whitehall Township resident out of more than $500,000 in gold bars and approximately $91,000 in cash.

Hirtik Hemchand Khatri, 25, of Lawrence Township, New Jersey, appeared before Judge Thomas M. Caffrey and received a sentence of 12 months minus a day to 36 months for felony theft charges. He also received two years of probation for criminal use of a communication facility and was ordered to pay $688,372 in restitution to the victim.

Khatri pleaded guilty Nov. 20 to theft by extortion, theft by unlawful taking of movable property and criminal use of a communication facility.

The scheme began when the victim received an email claiming a fraudulent charge had been made to his PayPal account, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan. He was told he needed to repay the debt at a Bitcoin kiosk at an area gas station.

The scam escalated with numerous phone calls demanding payment through cryptocurrency, gold or cash. The victim was told he would be arrested and jailed if he did not comply.

Fearing arrest, the victim ultimately withdrew funds from his IRA and purchased more than 200 gold bars worth nearly $600,000. Khatri picked up the gold from the victim’s home.

Investigators identified Khatri through a license plate reader that captured his vehicle at the victim’s residence. The victim later identified Khatri from a photo lineup.

The Lehigh County Elder Abuse Task Force warned that older residents are frequently targeted because they have more savings and are often less familiar with technologies like PayPal, Bitcoin and electronic transfers.

“Anyone who requests or demands large amounts of funds, especially in untraceable methods like cryptocurrency, precious metals, gift cards and cash, is almost certainly part of a scam,” the district attorney’s office said.

Residents who believe they have been scammed may contact the Elder Abuse Task Force at 610-782-3700.

The case was investigated by Whitehall Township Police, the Lehigh County Elder Abuse Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations and Lawrence Township Police. Chief Deputy District Attorney Ramma R. Mineo prosecuted the case.