FRIENDSWOOD — Friendswood police said three people have been arrested in an investigation into an alleged organized gold scam that targeted an elderly resident, with two California suspects facing a combined $15 million in bonds.
The investigation began in August after the Friendswood resident reported becoming suspicious of people who claimed to be federal authorities, police said. Investigators said the callers attempted to persuade the victim to convert a large amount of money into gold.
Friendswood police worked with the victim to arrange a transaction Aug. 25. Investigators identified Sukhvinder Singh, 39, of Lathrop, California, as the person who arrived to collect the gold, according to police.
Officers followed Singh to a FedEx location inside a Pearland Walmart, where packages containing the gold were being prepared for shipment, police said. Singh was arrested as he left the store.
Singh was charged in Galveston County with theft of more than $300,000 and engaging in organized criminal activity. Bond was set at $1 million. Police said he is also being held on a federal immigration detainer.
Authorities said the victim continued receiving calls after Singh’s arrest. The callers allegedly used spoofed caller ID to make the calls appear to come from the Friendswood Police Department and impersonated the detective assigned to the case.
Investigators later identified Daman Preet Singh, 35, of Riverside, California, and Mandeep Singh, 40, of Los Angeles, as suspected leaders in the operation, police said. Both were charged in Galveston County with engaging in organized criminal activity.
Bond for Daman Preet Singh was set at $10 million, while Mandeep Singh’s bond was set at $5 million.
Friendswood investigators traveled to California, where they arrested Daman Preet Singh on Sept. 9 with assistance from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit. A search warrant was also executed at his residence, police said.
Mandeep Singh was arrested Sept. 10 at his Los Angeles residence with assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Foothill Division, according to Friendswood police. Both men remained in custody in California pending extradition to Galveston County.
Police said the case is the department’s second large-scale gold scam investigation this year. In March, the department announced six arrests in an unrelated case involving an estimated $2.8 million in losses among elderly victims in several Texas cities.
Friendswood Police Chief Josh Rogers said the department will continue investigating those accused of exploiting older residents.
“[The department] will do everything in our power to identify and arrest the individuals responsible, regardless of location,” Rogers said.
Police reminded residents that legitimate government agencies and law enforcement officers will not direct someone to convert money into gold, cryptocurrency, gift cards or other assets for safekeeping or to avoid arrest.
