Kingston man gets 5½ years in US prison over US$5.4m elder sweepstakes scam

A Jamaican national aged 34 has received a jail term of five years and six months in the United States for helping run a large fraud operation that preyed on older Americans.

Adrian Lawrence, also known as “Mastermind” and linked to a Kingston address, was sentenced on July 7 by US District Judge Joan Azrack. He had pleaded guilty in December 2023 to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Lawrence was taken into custody in Jamaica and later sent to the United States under extradition. Besides the custodial term, the court directed him to repay US$5.4 million in restitution.

US prosecutors said Lawrence and others carried out the scam from October 2013 through April 2020. They lied to targets by claiming those people had won Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes prizes. Recipients were then told to remit cash for alleged taxes and fees before any winnings would be paid out. Officials reported that no fewer than 50 people, whose average age was about 82, were cheated of more than US$5.6 million.

“Today’s sentence punishes Lawrence for targeting dozens of vulnerable senior citizens, who were manipulated into believing they had won an official sweepstakes prize, in order to line his pockets with their hard-earned savings,” said United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella. “It will always be a priority of our office to aggressively investigate elder fraud and hold responsible those who shamefully exploit our seniors for personal gain.”

“May today’s sentencing highlight the FBI’s commitment to holding accountable those who exploit vulnerable Americans out of greed,” added James Barnacle Jr, assistant director in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office.