David Murray, Money Mule, Florida 2022

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – David Murray, a Chattahoochee man, has been sentenced to 42 months in prison for acting as a money mule in a "Jamaican Lottery" scam.

A money mule is a person who helps criminals commit financial fraud. In this case, Murray was a knowing participant in the illegal activity, which victimized an elderly woman.

On November 1, 2018, the victim was contacted repeatedly by individuals from Jamaica who falsely told her she had won the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes. The victim was told she needed to send money to Murray to pay the taxes on her winnings before her prize could be sent to her.

The victim wrote a check and mailed it to Murray using the United States Postal Service. Murray kept a portion of the stolen money before laundering the rest by wiring it to Jamaica. The evidence showed that Murray sent more than $69,000 to Jamaica over the course of his participation in the scam.

“These criminals prey on unsuspecting victims, convincing them to place their trust in people who only have their own self-interest in mind,” said U.S. Attorney Lawrence Keefe. “As long as these scams continue, we will work to stop them and prosecute the perpetrators.”

Murray was arrested on September 1, 2020, and pled guilty to charges of Mail Fraud and International Money Laundering. Murray’s 42-month prison sentence will be followed by 3 years of supervised release. This sentencing resulted from the collaborative efforts of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.

Beware of telephone calls or other solicitations asking you to send a check, wire transfer, or other payment to anyone you do not know within or outside the United States. While lottery winnings may be subject to taxes, legitimate lottery operations simply deduct a portion of the winnings in lieu of the tax payment.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

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