A 29-year-old man who illegally crossed the United States border into Arizona from Mexico has been arrested following an incident that happened in Monroe County.
The Gates Police Department responded to a home for a resident who was on the telephone with an unknown individual after receiving a scam email stating their Netflix account was expiring. The resident was led to believe at one point she was forwarded to her bank. The scammer was requesting that the resident empty their banking account and transfer the money to another account through a “federal reserve agent.” The resident was informed that the agent would arrive at their house in a KIA and that the resident should provide the “federal reserve agent” with all the money. The resident realized this was a scam and called Gates Police.
While on the scene, officers observed a KIA pull into the driveway and a man get out of the car wearing a bandana covering his face. The officers confronted the man and detained him. The man, identified as 29-year-old Harpeet Singh, was taken into custody after the incident. Singh claimed he was “helping pick up the money” for a “friend” in New York City. Officers further learned that Singh was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol in November of 2023 after crossing the border into the U.S. through Arizona illegally. Singh however was allowed to stay in the U.S. pending his immigration hearing scheduled for March of next year.
Singh was charged by the Gates Police Department with attempted grand larceny and impersonating an officer to commit a felony. After contacting the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, Singh was released with an appearance ticket as the charges were non-bailable offenses.
