Gambling Addiction: W.Va. man arrested on fraud charges

W.Va. man arrested on fraud charges

North Strabane Township police have asked for federal assistance in the investigation of a Morgantown, W.Va., man they arrested Wednesday on suspicion of stealing a large sum of money with stolen credit cards in several states.

Township police arrested Jaynesh Umesh Patel, 28, in the poker room at The Meadows Racetrack & Casino after being alerted to his alleged use of stolen credit cards at a nearby motel, court records show.

Patel confessed to obtaining the credit cards from a number of customers of motels owned by his parents in the Morgantown area, and also to having a gambling problem, township police Officer Christopher Wilson said.

Wilson said he had yet to determine how much money had been stolen in the scheme, and that he would seek help with the case from the federal Financial Crimes Task Force. He also said he plans to file additional charges next week against Patel for allegedly using stolen credit cards at other township businesses.

Police began investigating him about 11:15 a.m. upon receiving a phone call from the controller at the Holiday Inn Meadow Lands reporting fraud.

The controller, Diane Travani, said she had received a call from a fraud investigator with Citibank Financial that charges of $144 had recently been made at the motel restaurant and to reserve a room there on a credit card stolen from John P. and Eleanor Pless, police stated in the affidavit.

Patel had already checked out of the motel and taken a shuttle to the casino, where he was waiting for a letter in the mail due to arrive at the Holiday Inn.

Patel was taken into custody and charged with access device fraud, forgery, receiving stolen property, theft and identity theft. He was placed in Washington County Jail on $40,000 bond set by District Judge Jay Weller.

Weller said he seized the passport of Patel, who is of Indian descent and entered the United States through Canada.