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Last defendant in Jamaican lottery scam case going to trialNews Story
A Rhode Island woman accused of funneling lottery scam money between the U.S. and Jamaica through her airline job goes on trial in federal court in North Dakota this week. She is the last of 27 defendants in the case that began seven years ago this month. Here's a look at the case and the upcoming trial of Melinda Bulgin, which is expected to last up to 10 days. Why is this case a big deal? The Federal Trade Commission estimates that lottery scams could be a billion-dollar-a-year industry
Sep 10, 2018, 10:36 pm - Lottery News

Better Business Bureau releases study on sweepstakes, lottery and prize scamsNews Story
A new report by the Better Business Bureau says sweepstakes, lottery and prize scams are using ever-changing methods to hurt victims financially and emotionally. The frauds concentrate on seniors, targeting them by direct mail, cold calling, social media, text messages and smartphone pop-ups. BBB warns consumers to be on guard against the serious frauds and their perpetrators. The report Sweepstakes, Lottery and Prize Scams: A Better Business Bureau Study of How 'Winners' Lose Millions
Jun 18, 2018, 8:02 am - Lottery News

Sweepstakes, lottery scams cost Americans more than $111 million in 2017News Story
A new study reveals sweepstakes, lottery and prize-related scams cost Americans millions of dollars each year. The Better Business Bureau calls these schemes some of the most serious and pervasive frauds operating today. In the past three years, the group says more than 460,000 Americans have reported losing a total of over $330 million to such scams. The Better Business Bureau says these crooks are professionals. They might take advantage of someone in your family, and they can be very c
Jun 5, 2018, 3:45 pm - Lottery News

2 more suspects plead guilty in $5.7M Jamaican lottery scamNews Story
Two more suspects have pleaded guilty in a Jamaican lottery scam that authorities say bilked at least 90 Americans out of more than $5.7 million. O'Neil Brown and Dahlia Hunter earlier reached plea deals with prosecutors. They pleaded guilty to conspiracy in separate hearings this week. The government dropped dozens of fraud and money laundering counts. Seven other defendants have pleaded guilty in recent months, including Hunter's son, Lavrick Willocks, who authorities say masterminded th
Dec 8, 2017, 9:57 pm - Lottery News

Jamaican court goes easy on lottery scammersNews Story
There are reports of disquiet among Jamaican law enforcement officials over news that 15 men who pleaded guilty to lottery scam-related charges in the Hanover Circuit Court were sentenced to fines totaling $367,000. According to information obtained by The Gleaner-Power106 news centre, the men all pleaded guilty to possession of identity information on November 23rd and 24th. The reports indicate that seven were fined $30,000; five were fined $20,000 while two were fined $25,000. The ot
Dec 4, 2017, 8:27 am - Lottery News

2 more Jamaican lottery scam suspects brought to USNews Story
All of the 13 suspects arrested in what authorities believe is the first large-scale Jamaican lottery scam to be prosecuted in the U.S. have now entered pleas in federal court, with more than one-third of them admitting guilt or scheduled to do so. Authorities say the scam bilked at least 90 mostly elderly Americans out of more than $5.7 million. Two suspects who had been awaiting extradition in Jamaica were brought to the U.S. earlier this month and entered not guilty pleas in federal court
Sep 20, 2017, 9:42 am - Lottery News

Retired N.J. police chief scammed 95-year-old victim out of $29KNews Story
Former cop was himself scammed and trying to get his money back by joining scammers A retired New Jersey police chief pleaded no contest this morning to charges that he participated in a scam that cost a 95-year-old Northampton Township, Pennsylvania, man almost $29,000. Robert Ryan, 71, of Factoryville, PA, told Bucks County President Judge Jeffrey L. Finley that he, too, had lost $30,000 to a Jamaica-based lottery hoax and that his crimes were an attempt to recover his losses. He see
Sep 12, 2017, 9:51 am - Lottery News

Jamaican lottery scam ringleader pleads guiltyNews Story
A Jamaican man accused of masterminding a lottery scam that defrauded dozens of mostly elderly Americans out of millions of dollars has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, and a federal prosecutor says more defendants in the case might do the same. Lavrick Willocks, 28, reached an agreement with federal prosecutors in North Dakota earlier this month and appeared in court Thursday to enter his plea. Prosecutors dropped 65 other counts of wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering. Willocks faces
Jul 28, 2017, 10:25 am - Lottery News

N.C. man sentenced in Jamaica-based lottery schemeNews Story
A 25-year-old man from Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced on Monday to two years in federal prison for his role in a Jamaica-based lottery fraud scheme. Jahnoy Davis, 25, pled guilty in federal court in Charlotte in January to one count of money laundering conspiracy. On April 3, former Charlotte-area mail carrier Antonio Terrell Brown pled guilty to mail theft charges in the scheme. He awaits sentencing. Court records show Davis recruited people to receive the packages and conspi
Apr 26, 2017, 9:54 am - Lottery News

Alleged Jamaican lottery scam kingpin arrested in KingstonNews Story
A man accused of spearheading a lottery scam that bilked at least 70 mostly elderly U.S. residents out of millions of dollars has been arrested in Jamaica, authorities said Monday. Lavrick Willocks, 27, was taken into custody Saturday after he was found hiding in a garden at a Kingston hotel, according to a news release from the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and a woman who tried to help him escape also was arrested. Willocks faces numerous charges in U.S. federal court, including conspiracy
Nov 8, 2016, 8:11 am - Lottery News