FBI Charges New York Man in $1.7 Million Check Laundering Scheme
Tushal Rathod, a 44-year-old from Van Buren, New York, is facing serious charges after the FBI accused him of laundering counterfeit checks worth $1.7 million. The investigation started when his former partner—the mother of his six-year-old child—tipped off authorities after spotting suspicious activity on his devices. Screenshots of crypto transactions and conversations in foreign languages apparently raised red flags.
According to court documents filed by FBI Special Agent Samuel Morgan, Rathod allegedly funneled $1.2 million in Bitcoin through a web of seven bank accounts across six different institutions. His ex-partner first grew suspicious when Rathod kept complaining about his accounts getting shut down. It’s unclear whether she knew the full extent of what was happening, but the details she provided seem to have kickstarted the case.
Wire Fraud, Money Laundering, and a Trail of Digital Evidence
Rathod has been hit with multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. The scheme reportedly ran from November 2021 to June 2024. Investigators pulled records from Google and Apple linked to his email addresses—[email protected] and [email protected]—after securing court orders.
The FBI claims Rathod used two companies, T3 Telecom and TSV Telecom Constructions, as fronts for the operation. T3 Telecom, registered in 2016, was supposedly a legitimate telecom business testing network devices. TSV Telecom came later, in 2021. But authorities say both were tools to move dirty money.
Between April 2022 and June 2024, Rathod allegedly received over $1.7 million from fraudulent sources—mostly business email compromise (BEC) scams and fake checks. The money flowed through accounts at six banks, five tied to T3 Telecom and one to TSV Telecom. BEC scams typically involve hackers stealing employee login details, then tricking companies into sending payments to bogus accounts.
Bitcoin, Fake Invoices, and Banks Catching On
Rathod reportedly converted at least $1.2 million of the stolen funds into Bitcoin, sending it to various external wallets. But banks started noticing. Wells Fargo flagged unauthorized deposits in 2022 and closed his account. Later, M&T Bank confronted him about suspicious transactions—Rathod allegedly sent a fake invoice to cover his tracks. When he found out police reports had been filed, he stopped responding.
The scheme wasn’t solo work, either. The FBI says Rathod recruited his ex-girlfriend (who owned the [email protected] iCloud account) and even family members to open business accounts. Between May and July 2024, another $1 million allegedly moved through accounts controlled by them. Citibank managed to recover $800,000, but the rest remains unaccounted for.
Victims and the Long Arm of the Law
A Rhode Island real estate law firm was one of the first victims, losing $163,298 in 2022 after falling for a fake email posing as Northpointe Bank. California Credit Union got hit harder—scammers stole around $8 million, routing it through accounts tied to Rathod’s network.
If convicted, Rathod could face up to 20 years in prison. Agent Morgan noted that BEC scams often rely on layers of money movement to obscure the trail. Rathod’s case, he said, fits the pattern—complicated transactions, multiple accounts, and a team helping to hide the source.
For now, the legal process is just beginning. But one thing’s clear: digital trails leave marks, and sometimes, the people closest to
