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Brookfield man reaches plea agreement in $1.5M cash and gold bar scam.Brookfield man reaches plea agreement in $1.5M cash and gold bar scam Prosecutors say Patel conspired with others to retrieve cash and gold bars from victims in Sheboygan, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan and Missouri between May and September 2023.Prosecutors say Patel conspired with others to retrieve cash and gold bars from victims in Sheboygan, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan and Missouri between May and September 2023.Prosecutors say Patel conspired with others to retrieve cash and gold bars from victims in Sheboygan, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan and Missouri between May and September 2023.A Brookfield man, Ankurkumar Patel, reached a plea agreement in a scheme involving cash and gold bars where victims lost more than $1.5 million.According to a federal plea agreement signed Thursday, Patel agrees to plead guilty to money laundering conspiracy.Prosecutors say Patel conspired with others to retrieve cash and gold bars from victims in Sheboygan, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan and Kentucky between May and September 2023.In one case, victims in North Aurora, Illinois, gave up More than $1.1 million total during three different pickups in August 2023.Patel, according to prosecutors, picked up cash and gold from multiple victims in scams.In most cases, according to the FBI, call centers from India and other South Asian countries target elderly Americans.The callers contact the elderly victims through a computer pop-up ad or by calling them.Then, the person on the phone claims to be a federal agency, saying their accounts are hacked, or they're a victim of a crime, and that the victim needs to pay money or give up gold bars to keep it safe.Then, the callers send a courier to pick up the proceeds.A plea agreement says Patel both organized other couriers and picked up cash and gold bars himself.It states that Patel took instructions from a person he knew in India, who instructed him to pick up the cash or gold and where to deliver it.Patel, according to the agreement, owned and operated a hotel in Minnesota and a convenience store in Milwaukee.The maximum penalty for the charge Patel agreed to plead guilty to is 20 years in prison.He also agrees to pay more than $1.3 million in restitution to the victims.Patel's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.12 News has been investigating the gold bar scam for more than a year and a half.At least 56 victims in Wisconsin alone have lost more than $18 million, according to our tally.Government officials warn they will never request that you buy gold or other precious metals.If you believe you have been scammed, the FBI wants you to report it here.If you believe you've been scammed, we want to hear about it.Email James.Stratton@hearst.com.Top Headlines - Milwaukee father and veteran shot, killed over noise complaint, family says - Menomonee Falls police chase ends in crash, paralyzing two passengers - Wisconsin reports first mpox cases of 2026 WATCH Body camera footage shows police arrest Wauwatosa's suspected mail thief