Dwayne Anderson, Wire Fraud, South Dakota 2023

Dwayne Anderson, 35, a Jamaican national, has been extradited to the US and is facing federal wire fraud charges in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Anderson, of Hannover, Jamaica, was arrested on July 11 by Jamaican authorities, pursuant to a US request for extradition.

According to an indictment, from 2010 until September 2017, Anderson participated in a scheme to defraud an American woman. Using phony names, he contacted the victim by telephone, text message, and email, falsely informing her that she had won millions of dollars in a sweepstakes.

The victim, who believed Anderson’s false representations, was persuaded to send money to pay various fees and taxes associated with the sweepstakes. Anderson repeatedly contacted the victim with additional requests to pay money, telling her that her winnings would be forthcoming if she paid the requested money.

Anderson induced the victim to travel to Jamaica in September 2017, falsely informing her that she would be able to collect her prize winnings. He instructed the victim to bring $1,600 in cash with her to Jamaica and told her to give the money to a driver that met her at the airport. The victim paid the purported fees but never received any of her purported winnings.

“The Consumer Protection Branch is committed to bringing transnational criminals who defraud Americans to justice, wherever they are located,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton. “Ensuring that those who perpetrate these types of fraud schemes are held accountable is a priority of the department, and I thank the government of Jamaica for its assistance extraditing the defendant to face charges here in the United States.”

Anderson is charged with eight counts of wire fraud filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota in February 2023. If convicted, Anderson faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case, with the Jamaica Constabulary Force providing critical assistance. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Jamaica to secure the arrest and extradition of Anderson.

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