CHARLOTTE – A United States federal judge has sentenced a Jamaican man to prison for operating a Jamaica-based fraudulent lottery scheme.
US District Court Judge Robert J. Conrad sentenced 40-year-old Linton Stewart to seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty on August 3, 2023, to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in the Western District of North Carolina.
Stewart was also ordered to pay US$1,104,041.74 in restitution.
According to court documents, and as part of his plea agreement, Stewart admitted that from approximately 2010 through at least August 2016, he led a fraudulent lottery scheme in which he and his co-conspirators targeted victims in the United States.
Stewart confessed to contacting elderly Americans by phone and falsely informing them that they had won money and other prizes in a sweepstakes or lottery. He told victims they needed to send money to cover fees and taxes on their supposed winnings.
He repeatedly contacted victims as long as they could be persuaded to send additional payments. In reality, no lottery existed, and no victim ever received any winnings.
“Overseas lottery schemes are unfortunately a common means by which foreign criminals seek to target U.S. citizens, particularly elderly Americans,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Such schemes are unacceptable, and the department will hold accountable those who participate in them.”
“Stealing money from elderly individuals is a despicable crime,” said U.S. Attorney Dena J. King for the Western District of North Carolina. “Today’s sentence sends a clear message that fraudsters who target and exploit older adults for financial gain will be brought to justice.”
The Justice Department stated that this prosecution is part of its broader effort to collaborate with federal and foreign law enforcement agencies to combat fraudulent lottery schemes in Jamaica that prey on U.S. citizens.
The US Postal Inspection Service investigated the case, while the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Jamaica to secure Stewart’s arrest and extradition.
The Justice Department has urged individuals aged 60 and older who have been victims of financial fraud to contact the National Elder Fraud Hotline, which is staffed seven days a week by personnel fluent in English, Spanish, and other languages. (CMC)
