Man accused of buying 39 Teslas via US$45 million scam with apparent false ties to Elon Musk

The 39 Teslas include all models such Model Y compact SUVs, Model 3 sedans, Model S sedans and Model X SUVs. Also allegedly accumulated by Chandran, of Las Vegas, were 19 other cars, two pick-up trucks, three RVs and a wakeboarding boat. — Getty Images/TNS

Authorities arrested a man Wednesday whom federal prosecutors accuse of running a US$45mil (RM198mil) scam that netted him 39 Teslas and allegedly included false claims that a billionaire electric car company founder — likely Tesla CEO Elon Musk — was involved in the investment scheme.

In a federal grand jury indictment unsealed Wednesday, Neil Suresh Chandran, 50, is alleged to have defrauded more than 10,000 victims since June 2018 by claiming that at least one of his five cryptocurrency and virtual-reality companies “was about to be purchased by a consortium of wealthy buyers and thereby yield his investors extremely high returns.”