Jamaican National Barnett Gets 60-Month Sentence for Lottery Fraud

JAMAICA-BASED FRAUDSTER GETS PRISON TIME FOR SCAMMING ELDERLY AMERICANS

In a gritty punch to international lottery fraudsters, Oneike Mickhale Barnett, a Jamaican citizen, was sentenced today in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., for his role in a fraudulent lottery scheme that targeted unsuspecting elderly Americans. U.S. District Court Judge William J. Zloch ordered Barnett to serve 60 months behind bars and five years’ supervised release, along with paying $94,456 in restitution.

The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) relentless pursuit of such fraudulent schemes was highlighted by this sentencing, which is part of a broader effort to combat scams that have cost Americans tens of millions of dollars. The DOJ’s Wifredo Ferrer emphasized the commitment to justice: ‘As international fraudsters focus their criminal schemes on Americans, we will do all we can to prosecute and deter such criminal activity.’

Barnett’s arrest in Orlando, Fla., followed a federal grand jury indictment in Ft. Lauderdale and his guilty plea to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in February 2014. During the trial, the government would have proven that Barnett and his co-conspirators deceived elderly victims into paying fraudulent fees for lottery winnings that were never real.

The Justice Department’s Assistant Attorney General Stuart F. Delery emphasized the gravity of the crime: ‘The American justice system will not stand by while criminals defraud unsuspecting Americans of their savings.’ The investigative efforts of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Marshals Service were also commended.

For more information on this case, visit the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the District Court for the Southern District of Florida, or PACER.