EDITOR’S NOTE: As of March 25th at 7:02pm Touhedul Tuhin was officially voted in as senator of the College of Aeronautics and Engineering for USG.
A Kent State University Undergraduate Student Government candidate is facing federal fraud charges after being accused of participating in a multistate scheme targeting elderly victims.
Touhedul Tuhin was announced Saturday as a candidate for the senator seat of the College of Aeronautics and Engineering in the 2026-2027 USG elections.
In the USG bylaw charter, there is no indication that removal is required following criminal charges; however, removal is possible if USG is provided a petition signed by 8% of the Kent campus, or if the current president chooses to take action if said person is elected.
Charges are still pending. If convicted, Tuhin could face up to 20 years in prison.
The Kent Stater has requested comment, but Tuhin and his attorney have not responded.
According to USG President Ivory Kendrick, the candidacy process is based on student interest. Those seeking to run must collect 230 signatures from Kent State students to appear on the ballot and provide an outline of their platform.
“I’ve had questions from multiple people about, you know, taking the initiative to put USG a little bit more into it. I’m not a fan of that.” Kendrick said, “I think democracy is as true as like, you know, as the people control and not the government… It’s a slippery slope and I don’t want that to be us.”
Kendrick said the organization is taking the matter seriously but emphasized that the case remains under investigation.
“If it does turn out that this is true, it is the responsibility of USG representatives to ensure that we have people on our board who will not muddle USG’s name and that we’re holding ourselves to the highest standard of leadership on this campus,” Kendrick said.
The student was charged in a federal criminal complaint filed in September 2025 in the Western District of New York.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of New York, Tuhin and co-defendant Iftekhar Latif Nieon are accused of participating in a fraud scheme spanning multiple states targeting elder citizens. The case alleges approximately $276,000 in actual and attempted losses.
The two face charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, as well as money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Investigators allege Tuhin acted as a “money mule,” collecting cash from victims in person.
One of the victims was a 68-year-old man in Orchard Park, New York. The man received a call from someone posing as a Federal Trade Commission agent. The caller told the victim he owed money to the government, and that the Orchard Park native would need to withdraw $40,000 in cash then hand it over to two individuals.
The allegations and arrests, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office press release, are a part of the “Save Our Seniors” initiative. Officials say the effort has resulted in more than $11 million in actual and attempted losses across approximately 139 victims in multiple states.
Court documents say Tuhin was identified by a victim and a witness after New York State Police conducted neighborhood interviews. Images of the suspect and the vehicle used to travel to and from New York were obtained, and the vehicle was later determined to be registered to Tuhin.
Another victim from Pepper Pike, Ohio, reported a loss of $15,000. The 82-year-old told investigators he received a call from a fake PayPal representative claiming there was an error in his account. In a parallel investigation, authorities identified a vehicle belonging to Tuhin’s roommate in connection with the incident.
Voting for open USG Senator Seats concludes at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Results will be announced at 7 p.m. in the Student Center.
This story is ongoing.
Sofia Helena is the KSTV broadcast manager. Contact her at [email protected].
