PITTSBURGH — Seven people have been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection to a lottery scam that targeted elderly victims.
The suspects were indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh.
Jason Plummer, 31, Troy Williams, 38, and Tajay Singh, 26, all of Jamaica; Tashane Murray, 30, and Daneil Reid, 27, both of Florida; Clevon McKenzie, 31, of New York; and Gyzezll Byfield, 27, of Connecticut, are all charged in connection to the scam.
The indictments said the suspects executed a scheme that stole more than $2.8 million from elderly victims in Western Pennsylvania and other parts of the United States.
The suspects reportedly contacted the victims and told them they won a multi-million dollar sweepstakes, but that they needed to pay taxes and fees before they could claim their prize.
The suspects used forged documents to fool the victims into paying them.
“These defendants allegedly enriched themselves at the expense of elderly victims who believed they had won the lottery,” said U.S. Attorney Olshan. “Protecting our most vulnerable populations from the proliferation of targeted fraud schemes like the one alleged in this case remains a significant priority of our office. We will continue to work with all of our domestic and foreign law enforcement partners in our shared pursuit of justice on behalf of crime victims.”
Each suspect faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a fine of twice the loss to any victim, or both.
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