Jamaican Man Jailed for Lottery Scam

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Jeragh Powell, age 26, a citizen of Jamaica and former resident of Schenectady, New York, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino to serve 41 months in prison for his participation in a Jamaica-based lottery scam that targeted elderly victims.

The lottery scam saw Powell and his co-defendant, Kimberly Powell, 37, of Schenectady, mail false lottery prize notifications to mostly elderly people located throughout the United States. The fraudulent prize notifications letters congratulated the victims on winning a recent drawing and instructed them to pay tens of thousands of dollars in “fees and taxes” and “shipping and handling” in order to receive their purported prize money and cars.

Members of the conspiracy located in Jamaica also communicated with the victims by telephone, directing them to make payments to people in the United States. Powell and Kimberly received more than $65,000 from victims of the scheme, and forwarded a large portion of the proceeds to Powell’s associates in Jamaica.

Kimberly Powell pled guilty to mail fraud charges on August 3, 2016, and is scheduled to be sentenced on February 23, 2017. The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Schenectady Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Coffman.

The scam targeted mostly elderly people, who were deceived into paying tens of thousands of dollars in “fees and taxes” and “shipping and handling” in order to receive their purported prize money and cars. Powell and his associates in Jamaica communicated with the victims by telephone, directing them to make payments to people in the United States.

The case highlights the importance of vigilance when receiving unsolicited mail or phone calls claiming to offer large prizes or sums of money. Elderly individuals are often targeted by scammers, and it is essential that they are aware of the tactics used by these individuals.

Jeragh Powell’s sentence serves as a reminder of the consequences of participating in such scams. It also highlights the dedication of law enforcement agencies in investigating and prosecuting cases of financial crimes and scams.