Jamaican National Sentenced to Prison for his Participation in a Jamaica Based Lottery Fraud Scheme

A Jamaican national was sentenced to 33 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release for his participation in a Jamaica based lottery fraud scheme.

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Antonio J. Gomez, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division, made the announcement.

Joseph Conroy Smith, 28, a Jamaican National formerly of Lauderhill, previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349.   Smith was also ordered to pay approximately $100,000 in restitution and ordered to surrender to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement upon completion of his term of incarceration. 

According to documents and information presented in court, beginning in or about March 2010, Smith’s co-conspirators contacted elderly victims in the United States and falsely informed them that they had won a lottery.  These co-conspirators told victims they had to pay several thousand dollars in taxes and fees in order to collect their purported lottery winnings. The co-conspirators then instructed the victims on how to send this money, and to whom, including directing that the funds be sent to Smith.

Smith used the aliases of “Brandon Ross,” “Janice Davis,” “Richard Hunt,” and “Calvin Edwards,” to receive money from victims via United States Postal Service Express mail in Broward County, Florida.  Smith also recruited others to receive victims’ money via money transfer services and United States Postal Service Express mail.  On occasion, Smith also recruited others to send the victims’ money via electronic money transfer services.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of USPIS.  Mr. Ferrer also thanked Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, Broward County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Interdiction Task Force and the Miami-Dade Police Department Economic Crimes Unit, for their assistance with this matter.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bertha R. Mitrani.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.