Damion Bryan Barrett, 28, a Jamaican man, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a high-stakes international lottery scheme that targeted elderly victims in the United States.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida, Barrett was extradited from Jamaica in February based on charges that he committed fraud as part of the international lottery scheme. The scheme involved informing victims that they had won a large amount of money in a lottery and inducing them to pay bogus fees in advance of receiving their purported lottery winnings.
Barrett’s guilty plea comes after a lengthy investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Marshals Service. His co-defendant, Oneike Barnett, 29, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in February 2014 and was sentenced to 60 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
Barrett faces a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and mandatory restitution. His sentencing is set for June 19. Acting Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer praised the investigative efforts of the law enforcement agencies involved in the case. ‘Scammers in foreign countries preying on elderly victims in the United States are not immune from prosecution in the United States,’ Mizer said.
U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer echoed Mizer’s sentiments, stating that the protection of the most vulnerable members of society, including the elderly, is a top priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. ‘Regardless of where the criminals may be located, we will work together with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to bring them to the United States to hold them accountable for their crimes,’ Ferrer said.
Barrett’s guilty plea marks a significant milestone in the ongoing crackdown on fraudulent international lottery schemes. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has vowed to continue its efforts to protect vulnerable victims from such schemes.
As part of his guilty plea, Barrett acknowledged that he was a member of a conspiracy that kept victims’ money for their own benefit without paying any lottery winnings. He also admitted that the United States would have proved that he knew the claims of lottery winnings were completely fabricated.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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