A Florida woman has been sentenced to prison in connection with a fraudulent international lottery scheme that targeted U.S. citizens. Charmaine Anne King was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge K. Michael Moore in Miami to serve 57 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
King was convicted by a federal jury in Miami on February 5, 2014, of one count of conspiracy, three counts of mail fraud, and two counts of wire fraud.
The lottery scheme targeted elderly Americans, with scammers convincing victims to deposit counterfeit checks into their bank accounts in order to pay fees to collect their purported lottery winnings. After the victims sent the money to King, the counterfeit cashier’s checks bounced and they lost their money.
According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Americans have lost tens of millions of dollars to fraudulent foreign lotteries. King’s prosecution is part of the effort to combat international lottery fraud schemes preying on American citizens.
King’s sentencing comes after a co-conspirator, Althea Angela Peart, was sentenced to 33 months’ incarceration on March 20, 2014. Peart had pleaded guilty and acknowledged that a co-conspirator, believed to be located in Canada, mailed letters to elderly victims in the United States falsely informing them that they had won more than a million dollars in a lottery.
The evidence at King’s trial showed that a co-conspirator sent fraudulent lottery letters to the victims and included counterfeit cashier’s checks made out to the victims for thousands of dollars. The letters instructed victims to call ‘claims agents’ who were actually co-conspirators, and when the victims called the purported claims agents, the agents informed the victims that they had to pay several thousand dollars in fees in order to collect their purported lottery winnings.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Wifredo Ferrer, said that international lottery fraudsters have cheated Americans out of tens of millions of dollars. ‘In this particular scheme, the fraudsters convinced the victims to deposit counterfeit checks into their bank accounts in order to pay fees to collect their purported lottery winnings. After the victims sent the money to King, the counterfeit cashier’s checks bounced and they lost their money.’
Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Stuart F. Delery, said that the Justice Department will continue to hold criminals accountable for fraudulent lottery schemes. ‘This illegal conduct creates significant financial harm to people throughout the country, and we will continue to investigate and prosecute such crime, and bring those responsible to justice.’
A federal grand jury in Miami returned an indictment against King and co-conspirator Althea Angela Peart on October 31, 2013. A hearing on restitution has been scheduled for June 5, 2014.
Defendant: Charmaine Anne King
Charges: One count of conspiracy, three counts of mail fraud, and two counts of wire fraud
City and State: Miami, Florida
Date: February 5, 2014 (sentencing)
Sentence: 57 months in prison and five years of supervised release
Related Federal Cases
- Juan A. Tony Marrero, Medicare Fraud Scheme, Florida 2023 · Florida
- Juan A. Tony Marrero, Medicare Fraud Scheme, Florida 2004 · Florida
- Armand J. Croteau, IRS Fraud Scheme, Florida 2023 · Florida
- Ileana E. Osborne, Mortgage Fraud Scheme, Florida 2006 · Florida
- William E. Pino, Bribery Scheme, Florida 2023 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
