Ten Indicted in Gold Bar Scheme Targeting Elderly Victims, Seven Defendants From California
A federal indictment unsealed in Gainesville, in Alachua County, Florida, charges 10 defendants in an alleged “gold bar” scheme to defraud elderly victims with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. United States Attorney John P. Heekin for the Northern District of Florida announced the charges.
Seven of the defendants are from California: Gurpinder Singh, 20, Yashdeep Singh, 20, Kuljeet Singh, 22, Navjeet Singh, 25, Akashdeep Singh, 25, Harshdeep Kaur, 24, and Manpreet Singh, 26. The others are Sierra Stites, 35, and Carissa Snow, 37, both of Deland, Florida, and Reese Lightner, 39, of Pennsylvania.
All defendants have appeared for arraignment before United States Magistrate Judge Midori A. Lowry in Gainesville. A jury trial is scheduled for December 30, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor in Gainesville. If convicted, each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison on the wire and mail fraud conspiracy count and up to 20 years on the money laundering conspiracy count.
The case was investigated by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Gainesville Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner as part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. (Source: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida)
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于佛罗里达州 Gainesville 的阿拉楚阿县法院刑事司法中心，本案在 Gainesville 的联邦法院过堂。Ebyabe 摄，CC BY 2.5，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Alachua County Courthouse Criminal Justice Center in Gainesville, Florida. By Ebyabe, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.
