A North Carolina man has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison after authorities said he sold the personal information of millions of elderly Americans to Jamaican lottery scammers over a seven-year period.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Troy Murray, 57, of Hickory, North Carolina, was sentenced Thursday to 121 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to forfeit more than US$5.2 million.
According to court documents, Murray operated a large-scale scheme between 2016 and 2023 in which he organized and sold “lead lists” containing the names, phone numbers, home addresses, and, in some cases, ages and email addresses of elderly Americans to scammers in Jamaica involved in lottery fraud operations.
Federal prosecutors said Murray sold at least 22,000 lead lists during the conspiracy. The lists contained the personal information of more than 7 million elderly Americans.
Authorities said Jamaican scammers used the information to target victims in lottery fraud schemes that collectively caused losses exceeding US$9.5 million.
The Justice Department described Murray as a “prolific and well-known” lead list broker among Jamaican scammers. Prosecutors said scammers typically contacted Murray by phone, email, or text message to request lists of names, which he sold for about US$500 per batch containing between 100 and 300 names.
Initially, payments were made through wire transfers, but after several money transfer companies blocked him from using their services, Murray allegedly instructed scammers to pay using prepaid gift cards instead.
According to prosecutors, Murray’s alias, “Steve Dixon,” became so well known in Jamaica that it was referenced in a 2022 song lyric by a Jamaican musical artist.
Authorities said Murray used proceeds from the scheme to buy farm equipment, vehicles, and precious metal collectibles, including gold and silver bars and coins. He also reportedly transferred money to one of his sons to help purchase property and cover business and living expenses.
Murray pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel David Sullivan and Trial Attorney Ryan Norman of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division announced the sentencing.
