Relentless harassment from criminal fraudster leads to dramatic unfortunate results

By Kate Northrop

A Jamaican scammer was sentenced to prison after he severely harassed an elderly Washington woman in a lottery scheme that cost her $600,000 and her home.

An elderly woman lost her house and sent over a half a million dollars to a criminal fraudster after he made her believe that she won a $22 million prize in the lottery.

Roshard Andrew Carty, 34, was sentenced to three years in prison earlier this month for wire fraud that cost his victim more than $600,000 and her house. According to the United States Attorney's Office, he was arrested in Jamaica in August 2025 and arrived for his arraignment in the Western District of Washington in October 2025.

He was described as a relentless, persistent criminal in court, who, "even as [the victim] hesitated and tried to resist," got creative in how he continued to contact her, U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright said after he pleaded guilty in February.

"This defendant was relentless in defrauding a vulnerable victim," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd said in a press release. "At every turn when she tried to end the contact, he persisted playing on her isolation and her fear of losing the money she had already lost. He stole the money she was counting on to survive in retirement, so that he could buy luxuries and live large in Jamacia. It is despicable conduct deserving of this punishment."

Court records state that Carty first reached out to the 73-year-old victim in 2020 while posing as an employee of Publisher's Clearinghouse. He fraudulently informed her that she had won $22 million and a car in the lottery, but she would have to pay taxes and fees upfront to receive her winnings.

If you are contacted by someone claiming that you have won a big lottery prize, know that it is impossible to win a lottery or contest that you never entered, nor will a true winner ever be asked to pay a sum of money prior to receiving a prize.

Still, Carty convinced the southwest Washington woman that the FBI was recording the call and told her not to tell anyone else about the win.

For nearly four years between August 2020 and February 2024, he managed to convince her to send more than $600,000 to money couriers throughout the United States, who then delivered the money to Carty in Jamaica.

At first, his requests for cash came across as unassuming. He instructed the victim to withdraw small amounts from her bank accounts and send them via FedEx to various locations around the U.S. However, Carty would follow up with the woman to inform her that the money was either lost or stolen, and he began to demand larger sums of money.

It eventually led him to order her to borrow against her home so that she could continue to send him payments.

The victim ended up selling her home to cover "costs and fees" Carty said she still needed to pay to claim her prize. In total, she sent him more than $600,000.

The U.S. Department of Justice said that Carty contacted her "thousands of times" over the course of the scheme. He'd reach out to her through different phone numbers and texting programs, but when she tried to cut off communications, his attempts became even more persistent.

He'd send tow trucks and pizza deliveries to her home to re-establish contact. He had even asked her landlord to perform a welfare check on her.

"Mr. Carty relentlessly and cruelly manipulated and intimidated his elderly victim to deprive her of her life savings for his own profit," FBI Seattle field office Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington said. "His lies in pursuit of her money even went so far as to abuse the trust and credibility of law enforcement by claiming the FBI was recording a call. Ultimately, the victim lost her home without receiving any of the fictitious prize money Mr. Carty had promised. We hope this case sends a message to would-be lottery scammers that the FBI will work just as relentlessly with our partners to hold fraudsters accountable, even when they reside beyond the borders of the United States."

The southwest Washington woman was not the only victim of Carty's crimes. Law enforcement discovered that he had been actively defrauding others, and they fear that he may return to running the same scams once he's out of prison.

"Carty's conduct here shows he is relentless, callous, and has an aptitude for deception — he is unlikely to be deterred by the reality that his conduct left people like Victim 1 destitute," prosecutors said during his sentencing hearing. "Carty knew Victim 1, Victim 2, and likely others were insolvent because of him, and yet he persisted in his scam. And unlike with U.S.-based defendants, the U.S. Probation Office cannot effectively monitor Carty when he returns home."

It is impossible to win a lottery or contest that you never entered, nor will a winner ever be asked to pay a sum of money prior to receiving a prize.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)Roshard Andrew Carty was not shy about showing off his ill-gotten gains.