A 20-year-old Illinois man is jailed after deputies say he came to Kent County to collect gold from a widow targeted by scammers.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — A West Michigan coin shop owner and Kent County deputies helped stop a $700,000 gold scam after a widow was told her Social Security funds were tied to terrorism and money laundering, authorities and local reports said.
The case has drawn attention because the planned handoff ended with a decoy bag filled with chocolate coins instead of real gold. Deputies arrested 20-year-old Yug B. Chauhan, of Elmhurst, Illinois, after investigators said he traveled to West Michigan to collect the supposed payment. He is being held in the Kent County jail on a false pretenses charge involving more than $100,000.
The case began when a widow in Ottawa County received a call from a man who claimed her Social Security number was connected to terrorism and money laundering. The caller told her she needed to buy $700,000 in gold quickly so police could “track the bad guys,” according to accounts of the investigation. The woman went to Grand Rapids Coins on 10 Mile Road, where owner Ben Soldaat noticed she appeared stressed and was moving with unusual urgency. Soldaat contacted the Kent County Sheriff’s Office after deciding the situation did not look like a normal purchase. His call moved the case from a possible loss to an active police response.
Deputies went to the woman’s home while the callers continued trying to arrange a pickup, according to reports. Investigators kept the woman away from the meeting and instead used an undercover detective in her place. The detective dressed as an older woman and went to a doughnut shop for the arranged handoff. The bag did not contain the gold the callers expected. It held chocolate gold coins. Chauhan, who authorities said had come from Illinois to pick up the money or gold, was taken into custody at the scene. No loss of the $700,000 was reported. Officials have not publicly identified the people who made the original calls, and it was not immediately clear whether more arrests are expected.
The scheme followed a pattern often seen in government impersonation fraud, in which callers claim a victim’s money, identity or benefits are linked to criminal activity. In this case, the pressure point was the woman’s Social Security account and the false claim that buying gold would help law enforcement trace criminals. The size of the requested purchase also stood out. A $700,000 transaction would be far beyond a routine coin shop sale for many customers, and the woman’s behavior prompted the owner to pause before the transfer could move forward. The store’s location on 10 Mile Road put the first key intervention in northern Kent County, while the intended victim lived in neighboring Ottawa County.
Chauhan was listed with a home address in Elmhurst, Illinois, and remained jailed in Kent County after the arrest. He was charged with false pretenses involving more than $100,000, a felony category that can carry up to 20 years in prison under Michigan law if a defendant is convicted. Local reporting also said an immigration hold had been placed in the case. Court records and jail records will determine the next steps, including bond review, arraignment details and future hearing dates. Prosecutors will also have to show what role Chauhan allegedly played and whether he knew the pickup was tied to a larger fraud scheme.
The unusual ending, with chocolate coins replacing gold, turned a serious fraud case into a widely shared local story. Still, the central facts remain focused on the woman who nearly lost a large sum and the quick action at the coin shop. Soldaat’s concern gave deputies time to step in before the handoff. Investigators then used the continuing phone contact to shift control of the meeting. By the time the pickup was arranged, the real victim was no longer headed toward the scammers. The person who arrived instead was an undercover officer carrying the decoy bag.
The case stood Thursday with Chauhan in the Kent County jail and the widow’s $700,000 protected. Further court dates and any added charges had not been publicly detailed.
Author note: Last updated June 11, 2026.