Jamaican Scammer Jailed

⏱ 2 min read

A Jamaican national, Tavoy Farquharson, 34, has been sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for his role in a lottery fraud scheme that stole over $3.5 million from elderly victims across the United States, including many in Maryland. The scheme, which began in October 2020 and continued until at least January 2024, involved using the mail to obtain money from victims who were led to believe they had won a large cash prize. Farquharson and his co-conspirators would then falsely tell the victims they needed to pay taxes or fees in advance to collect their winnings.

The victims, many of whom were elderly, were solicited by Farquharson and his co-conspirators, who misled them into believing they had won a lottery or sweepstakes. Some victims lost most of their life savings, with the total loss exceeding $3.5 million. Farquharson himself received over $700,000 of the victims’ funds.

Farquharson’s sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson, includes 40 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release. He has also been ordered to pay $3,962,826 in restitution. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Treasury Office of Inspector General, among others.

The sentence is a significant victory for law enforcement, who have been working to crack down on lottery fraud schemes that target vulnerable individuals. The case serves as a reminder for people to be cautious when receiving unsolicited notifications about winning prizes or sweepstakes, and to never pay fees or taxes in advance to collect winnings.