Anthony Stewart, a businessman from St. James, Jamaica who was implicated as the ringleader of a lottery scam, has pleaded guilty in the US in connection to the scheme that primarily targeted older U.S citizens.
Reports are that Stewart, 39, confessed to one count of conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud in the US District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, as announced by the Justice Department.
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
Preying on elderly Americans
The details of his plea agreement revealed that he reached out to elderly U.S citizens over the phone, misleading them with false news of winning money and other sweepstakes prizes.
Reports are that to claim these alleged winnings, Stewart convinced the victims to transfer money for covering fees and taxes. He maintained regular contact with victims to coax them into sending more money as long as they were susceptible.
Stewart guided his victims to employ wire transfers and the US Postal Service to transfer money to intermediaries in the United States and Jamaica, who would then deliver the funds to Stewart.
More on lottery scamming in the Caribbean
- Jamaican extradited to United States on lottery scamming charges
- Jamaican men charged for alleged lottery scamming involvement in St Ann
Financial losses: The high cost of scams
The scam was found to be entirely fraudulent, with no lottery in existence and victims left with no prizes or money. The scheme led to the victims losing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
U.S Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, Dena J King, emphasized that each year sees countless older Americans suffering severe financial distress due to scams conducted both within and outside the United States.
She added that the guilty plea demonstrates the commitment towards identifying and punishing those involved in elder fraud schemes, regardless of their origin.
The US Postal Inspection Service led the investigation into this case.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, in partnership with Jamaican law enforcement, was instrumental in securing Stewart’s arrest and extradition.
Significant support was also provided by the US Marshals Service.
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