US man gets 121-month sentence over lead lists sold to Jamaican lottery scammers

An American man has been given a prison term of more than 10 years in the United States after authorities said he supplied Jamaican lottery scammers with lead sheets containing personal data for more than seven million older US residents.

Troy Murray received a 121-month sentence, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role in a seven-year operation that exposed millions of elderly Americans to fraud by selling their details to scam networks in Jamaica.

The court also directed him to forfeit US$5.2 million.

Court records say Murray, 57, from Hickory in North Carolina, built and ran a business around lists of elderly Americans. The records said the lists included names, telephone numbers and home addresses, and in some instances ages and email addresses, which were sold to people in Jamaica carrying out lottery scams.

Between 2016 and 2023, prosecutors said Murray supplied those lists to Jamaican fraudsters who then targeted elderly consumers in the United States through lottery schemes. The activity brought him hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

Murray became a major and familiar source of lead lists for Jamaican scammers. Buyers usually contacted him by phone, email or text message to request names, after which he quoted a price, commonly US$500 for batches ranging from 100 to 300 names.

His operation was reportedly recognised widely enough in Jamaica that his alias, "Steve Dixon", was mentioned in a 2022 lyric by a Jamaican recording artiste.

Prosecutors said Murray used the proceeds to buy farm machinery, vehicles, and collectible items, including precious-metal bars and coins. He also transferred some of the money to one of his sons to acquire personal property and cover business and living costs.

During the conspiracy, Murray sent at least 22,000 lead lists to scammers. Those lists carried personal information for more than seven million elderly Americans and generated over US$5.2 million for him, while victims lost more than US$9.5 million.

Murray pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.