Oneike Mickhale Barnett, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Florida 2013
A Jamaican citizen has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud in connection with an international lottery scheme based in Jamaica.
Oneike Mickhale Barnett, 38, of Jamaica, pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court in Ft. Lauderdale to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
According to court documents, Barnett and his co-conspirators fraudulently induced elderly victims in the U.S. to send them thousands of dollars to cover fees for lottery winnings that the victims had not won.
The scheme, which operated from 2008 through 2012, targeted elderly victims in the U.S. and induced them to pay bogus fees in advance of receiving their purported lottery winnings.
Barnett was arrested in Orlando, Fla., in August 2013 following his indictment by a federal grand jury in Ft. Lauderdale on Aug. 9, 2012.
As part of his guilty plea, Barnett acknowledged that the government would have proved beyond a reasonable doubt that he was a member of a conspiracy to commit wire fraud and that he knew the claims of lottery winnings were completely fabricated.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Marshals Service were involved in the investigation and prosecution of Barnett's case.
This prosecution is part of the Department of Justice's effort to combat fraudulent lottery schemes in Jamaica that prey on American citizens.
According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Americans have lost tens of millions of dollars to fraudulent foreign lotteries and sweepstakes.
Barnett is scheduled to be sentenced on May 22, 2014, and faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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