MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – An illegal immigrant from India accused of defrauding a Fairhope couple has pleaded not guilty and has been ordered detained pending trial.
Pradeep Patel, 33, entered his not guilty plea on Tuesday in U.S. District Court. U.S. Magistrate Judge Bradley Murray ordered him to be locked up until resolution of the charges against him.
Prosecutors allege that Patel remained unlawfully in the United States after his visa expired and persuaded the victims to buy gold bars – ostensibly to protect their bank account from hackers. The couple went to multiple locations in the area to withdraw money to wire $190,000 to a company to purchase the gold, according to a criminal complaint.
Prosecutors allege that Patel then drove from Georgia to Fairhope in August to retrieve the gold…