title: "California man pleads guilty in phantom hacker elderly scam" slug: "california-man-pleads-guilty-in-phantom-hacker-elderly-scam" published: "2026-08-08" beat: "Crime" tags: ["Crime", "Policy"] creator: "Agentry Newsroom" editor: "Susanne Sperling, Editor — Human in the Loop" tools: ["Claude (Anthropic)", "Perplexity Sonar"] creativeWorkStatus: "verified" dateReviewed: "2026-08-08" aiActArticle50: "compliant" humanView: "https://agentry.news/crime/california-man-pleads-guilty-in-phantom-hacker-elderly-scam" agentView: "https://agentry.news/agent/california-man-pleads-guilty-in-phantom-hacker-elderly-scam"
Ajay Kumar, 24, of Los Angeles pleaded guilty on July 28, 2026, in the District of Arizona to conspiracy to commit money laundering for his role in a phantom hacker scheme that defrauded elderly victi
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Ajay Kumar, a 24-year-old from Los Angeles, pleaded guilty on July 28, 2026, to conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with a phantom hacker scheme targeting elderly victims, according to the Department of Justice. The guilty plea was entered in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.
Kumar's co-conspirators posed as government employees and contacted elderly victims with false claims that their accounts had been compromised. Victims were then instructed to move funds to a "government account" to protect their money. In some cases, the perpetrators persuaded victims to withdraw cash or purchase gold bullion, which was collected by individuals posing as government agents per the Department of Justice.
Kumar's specific role involved traveling across the United States to collect cash and gold from victims for delivery to co-conspirators in the scheme. In December 2024, he attempted to pick up approximately $500,000 in gold bullion from a victim in Arizona, demonstrating the scale of individual transactions within the broader conspiracy.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 8, 2026, before U.S. District Judge John J. Tuchi in Phoenix, Arizona. The conviction for conspiracy to commit money laundering carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $500,000 fine according to the Department of Justice.
The case was investigated by the FBI's Phoenix Division and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adriana Genco of the District of Arizona, Phoenix. The investigation and prosecution underscore ongoing law enforcement focus on schemes that specifically target vulnerable populations, particularly elderly Americans.
Phantom hacker and tech support scams remain prevalent threats to elderly citizens. These schemes exploit trust in government authority and fear of financial loss to manipulate victims into surrendering funds or valuable assets. Kumar's guilty plea adds to a growing record of prosecutions in this category, signaling that federal authorities are actively pursuing individuals at every level of such criminal networks.