A lottery scam that pulled $3.4 million from 28 victims across the U.S. has landed a Jamaican man in federal prison for six years.
Sefton Olivair Stewart, 41, of Montego Bay, Jamaica, was sentenced on October 16th in federal court in Michigan and will be removed from the country after serving his time, says the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan.
Prosecutors say Stewart and others falsely told people between October 2019 and September 2024 that they had won cash and luxury vehicles in a multistate lottery.
To collect their purported winnings, the victims were told they first had to pay taxes and fees, but the prizes never existed.
The conspirators used fake bank and US government documents to make the promises look legitimate.
Court documents show that one of the scheme’s victims was a man living in West Michigan.
Stewart pleaded guilty in July to participating in a conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
Florida resident Danielle Diarbakerly was previously sentenced to 37 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering for her role in the scheme.
Says U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey,
“There are people out there, like Stewart and Diarbakerly, who have decided to make a career out of defrauding US citizens. We are doing everything we can to send the message that such careers have no future. If you engage in fraud, we will find you no matter where you are, charge you, convict you and persuade a judge to put you in prison. Stewart got that message today. Other con artists out there need to get the message that it’s time to change careers.”
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This post Jamaican Fraudster Drains $3,400,000 From 28 Victims in Nationwide Lottery Scam, Sentenced to Six Years in Prison appeared first on The ICD.
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