Police: Senior swindled out of millions in gold in Las Vegas

Two California men have been charged with scamming a senior out of roughly $3 million worth of gold in the Las Vegas Valley, according to court and law enforcement documents.

Rajesh Kumar, 26, of Ontario, and Deepak Sharma, 20, of Fontana, are charged with exploiting an older or vulnerable person, theft value more than $100,000 and attempted theft more than $100,000.

An arrest report for Sharma indicates the Metropolitan Police Department opened an investigation after being contacted by the senior. The man, whose age was not included in the report, told detectives he’d been contacted by an individual in July 2026 and told there was a problem with one of his bank accounts.

He was instructed to call a number that led to him conversing with a man he thought was with the Federal Trade Commission.

The man was then convinced to purchase millions in gold from a legitimate gold dealer, then deliver the gold to couriers in the Las Vegas Valley so it could be stored safely. After doing so, the victim eventually contacted police when he became suspicious he was being scammed, police said.

Police said investigators then set up a ruse where the victim was supposed to deliver more gold to a courier. During a scheduled meeting between the courier and the victim at the Boca Park Plaza, 8750 W. Charleston Blvd., police said they arrested Kumar and Sharma at the scene.

Police did not indicate whether any of the man’s gold was recovered.

Kumar and Sharma were housed at the Clark County Detention Center as of Tuesday afternoon on $1 million bail settings, according to jail records.