SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Edited News Release/KY3) – An Indian national pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday for his involvement in a multi-million-dollar illegal gambling conspiracy occurring at six locations in southwest Missouri.
Rahulkumar D. Patel, 41, a citizen of India residing in Washington state, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Willie J. Epps Jr. to one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Investigators say Patel admitted that he and his co-conspirators obtained approximately $7.7 million in gross proceeds from their wire fraud scheme and illegal gambling businesses and then conducted various financial transactions to launder the proceeds.
The indictment
On May 14, 2025, Patel was charged, along with eight other individuals, in a 72-count superseding indictment by a federal grand jury in Springfield. The federal indictment charges all nine defendants with one count each of participating in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and operating illegal gambling businesses from July 1, 2022, to May 13, 2025. In addition to the conspiracy counts, all nine defendants were charged with at least one count of wire fraud, and eight defendants were charged with money laundering.
How the scheme worked
Through his guilty plea, investigators sayPatel admitted that he and his co-conspirators ran illegal gambling businesses under the guise of internet amusement arcade games, skill game arcades, and adult arcades. Patel and his co-conspirators hired local employees to work in their businesses, which operated contests of chance, gambling devices, and slot machines in violation of Missouri and federal law…