New York State Police are urging residents to talk with friends, family, and neighbors about phone scams that pressure victims, often senior citizens, to withdraw large sums of money or purchase gold bars to “protect their assets.”
In Tompkins County, investigators spent more than a year on a case that led to charges against 41-year-old Akash Thakkar of Hiawatha, N.J., who was charged with Grand Larceny in the second degree, a Class C felony. Troopers say the victims were coerced into handing over $250,000 in gold bars in June 2024 and another $250,000 in August 2024. Thakkar was identified as the individual who collected the August shipment.
On Sept. 24, 2025, the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office presented the case to a grand jury, which indicted Thakkar on the charge. A warrant was issued for his arrest. On Oct. 8, 2025, Thakkar was processed at State Police Ithaca and transferred to the Tompkins County Jail for centralized arraignment.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Have all the Finger Lakes news from Finger Lakes News Radio delivered to your email every morning for FREE! Sign up by clicking here
