Scam Money Into Used Copiers: Texas Father and Daughter Charged With Laundering Fraud Proceeds to India

Published Oct. 23, 2026. Case statuses are current as of that date.

In June 2024, a Massachusetts resident got a call from someone claiming to be from the Social Security Administration. The caller said the person had been charged with a crime. To "resolve" it, the person withdrew about $248,000 from a retirement account and deposited it into five bank accounts as instructed. Federal prosecutors in Connecticut say more than $48,000 of it went into an account held by a Houston used-copier wholesaler. They allege that company was laundering scam money back to fraudsters in India [1].

The company's majority owner and his daughter are now under indictment. The U.S. Attorney's Office announced the case on Oct. 21, 2026 [1].

Important: Charges are allegations. Every defendant named below who has not been convicted is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

How the scheme allegedly worked

Prosecutors describe it as "trade-based money laundering." Criminals use illegal proceeds to buy goods in one country, ship them to another and sell them there for local currency. The real goal is moving money, not selling goods [1].

According to the indictment, as summarized by the U.S. Attorney's Office:

1. The scam. India-based co-conspirators defraud victims in the U.S. In the example given, a caller posed as the Social Security Administration and claimed the victim faced criminal charges.
2. The deposit. Victims are told to deposit money into specific U.S. bank accounts, including one held in the name of Jainam International, Inc.
3. The purchase. Jainam International used the fraudulently obtained funds to buy used copiers from American companies, including companies in Connecticut.
4. The shipment. The copiers were shipped to Texas, then to India, where they were sold for rupees to pay the India-based conspirators.
5. The paper trail. Prosecutors say the Kamdars made up invoices for sales that never happened. The invoices falsely showed the copiers being sold to companies in Singapore and India that the Kamdar family controlled. In the Massachusetts example, the victim's deposit was booked as payment for used copiers from an Indian company controlled by Ketan Kamdar.

The indictment says the conspiracy dates to about 2023 [1].

The people charged and their status

Ketan Kamdar, 61, of Katy, Texas, a citizen of India, is described as the majority owner of Jainam International, Inc., a used-copier wholesaler based in Houston. Jheel Kamdar, 30, of Katy, Texas, is his daughter. Prosecutors say both were listed in corporate filings and other documents as president of the company [1].

According to the release:

• Both were arrested on federal criminal complaints on Sept. 2, 2026.
• On Sept. 3, a grand jury in Bridgeport, Connecticut, returned an indictment charging each with two counts of money laundering conspiracy. Each count carries up to 20 years in prison.
• The indictment seeks forfeiture of $4,184,295.22.
• Jheel Kamdar was arraigned Sept. 30 and released on a $100,000 bond.
• Ketan Kamdar appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti, pleaded not guilty and was released on a $1.5 million bond. The release, dated Oct. 21, says this happened "yesterday."

The release does not say how Jheel Kamdar pleaded at her arraignment. U.S. Attorney David X. Sullivan "stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt" [1].

The investigators are the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (Office of Export Enforcement), the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative [1]. The callers who posed as Social Security officials are not named in the release.

Red flags

• A call saying you've been "charged with a crime" by the Social Security Administration. SSA does not threaten arrest or demand payment to clear charges.
• Instructions to withdraw retirement savings and split them across several accounts you've never heard of.
• Being told to keep it secret, or to lie to your bank about why you are moving money.
• Business-sounding account names. A deposit into an account in a company's name (an importer, an electronics wholesaler) does not make it legitimate.
• Pressure to act today. Real agencies give you time and paperwork.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Hang up. Call the Social Security Administration yourself at 1-800-772-1213, or check with the SSA Office of the Inspector General.
2. Call your bank or retirement-plan administrator right away if you've moved money. Fast reports give the best chance to freeze funds.
3. Report it to the FBI at ic3.gov, to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and to SSA's Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov.
4. Age 60 or older? Call the DOJ Elder Justice Hotline at 1-833-372-8311.
5. Never deposit money "for safekeeping" into an account someone else names. No government agency asks for that.

Case status (as of Oct. 23, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status	Source
Ketan Kamdar, 61, Katy, Texas	U.S. District Court, D. Conn. (indictment returned in Bridgeport)	Indicted, 2 counts of money laundering conspiracy; pleaded not guilty; released on $1.5M bond; presumed innocent	[1]
Jheel Kamdar, 30, Katy, Texas	U.S. District Court, D. Conn.	Indicted, 2 counts of money laundering conspiracy; arraigned Sept. 30; released on $100,000 bond; presumed innocent	[1]

Those not convicted are presumed innocent. Statuses can change.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Connecticut, "Homeland Security Task Force Investigation: Two Texas Residents Charged with Offenses Stemming from Trade-Based Money Laundering Scheme," Oct. 21, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/homeland-security-task-force-investigation-two-texas-residents-charged-offenses-stemming

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