A Connecticut man was charged by state police for his involvement in an elaborate scam where he pocketed thousands of dollars from a Muddy Creek Township man.

Sandeep Seelam, 25, was charged Tuesday, May 22, with felonies theft by deception, criminal attempted theft and conspiracy after police said he posed as a federal agent during a series of events over the course of a few weeks.

Police said on April 18, the man received an email notification that stated a $900 transaction toward Bitcoin was made on his account.

The man contacted the phone number from the email and spoke with several individuals who convinced him his bank accounts had been hacked and that he needed to move his money to an “escrow account,” police said.

Documents showed the man withdrew $11,200 and placed it in a Bitcoin machine at a GetGo per the instructions of the scammers. A few days later, police said the man deposited $39,800 in three separate transactions in the same machine.

On May 8, police said the man then withdrew $23,000 from his bank accounts and was instructed to hand the money over to an individual he believed to be a “treasury agent.”

Another pick up occurred the next day, and police said this time the posing agent took $65,000 from the man.

In both cases, documents showed a silver Hyundai Sonata with Connecticut registration arrived was involved in the transactions. The vehicle was registered to Seelam, police said.

On May 21, troopers instructed the man to make arrangements for another pick up, this time for $80,000. Police said multiple officers staged at the residence and within the area. The suspect vehicle arrived on scene around 9:30 p.m. and the driver identified himself as Seelam.

Police said Seelam disclosed he was stopping to see a friend, but could not give details or additional information. Seelam was taken into custody and police said he was increasingly concerned about his cellphone being taken from him.

Seelam was found to be staying at the Comfort Inn and Suites in Butler Township, police said. A search of his hotel room yielded a large amount of money and a receipt indicating he had been staying in the room when the scams occurred, documents showed.

Police said Seelam disclosed during an interview he had been instructed to pick up a package at the man’s residence during a call from an individual he knew as “Mark Brown.”

Seelam was arrested and place in Butler County Prison in lieu of $1,500,000. His preliminary hearing is scheduled June 5 before District Judge Joseph Nash.