New England Family Members Plead Guilty In Massive Phone Scam

MASSACHUSETTS — Two men from New England pleaded guilty in a Massachusetts court Wednesday and have agreed to repay the victims of their nationwide phone scam, prosecutors said.

Ajaykumar Chaudhari, 26, of Pownal, Vermont, and Jitendra Chaudhari, 29, of Williamstown, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to larceny and attempt to commit larceny this week after their arrest in June 2020.

Provided the defendants stay out of further legal trouble, their guilty pleas mean they'll avoid jail time, the Associated Press reported.

The Chaudharis' phone scam targeted about 20 victims nationwide. The men sometimes posed as government employees and convinced some victims to send packages of cash to an address in Adams, Massachusetts.

A third defendant, Parth Chaudhari, pleaded guilty to the same charges in December. All three are members of the same family, according to the district attorney's office. Together, they will pay more than $210,000 in restitution.

Prosecutors have already secured the restitution money and will be returning it to the victims soon.