A 72-year-old Pittsburgh woman has been arrested for her role in a brutal Jamaican Lottery Scam that stole $295,000 from seniors across the U.S. Audrey Huff, of the 300 block of Spencer Ave., is accused of acting as the key money mule, collecting cash from elderly victims by mail and wiring it overseas to co-conspirators in Jamaica. The scam preyed on fear, lies, and the isolation of older Americans desperate to believe they’d struck it rich.
Huff was charged with conspiracy to commit theft by deception, theft by deception, corrupt organization, and criminal conspiracy. Authorities say she processed nearly 300 wire transfers over several years, breaking down large sums into smaller deposits to avoid detection. Attorney General Josh Shapiro confirmed Huff had been warned multiple times—by local, state, and federal agents—to stop facilitating the scam. She ignored them all.
The scam followed a twisted playbook: victims were told they’d won millions in a foreign lottery and needed to pay taxes or fees to claim their prize. Others were terrorized by callers posing as FBI or IRS agents, threatening arrest if they didn’t comply. One victim, 90-year-old Maria Rizza of Brighton, Mass., sent $4,000 believing she’d won $3.5 million. Her family revealed she’d already lost over $250,000 across a decade of deception.
Andrew Hutchinson, 82, of Mount Pleasant, S.C., was told by an impostor ‘FBI agent’ to mail $25,000 to Huff—money that was never recovered. Lynn Bernice Doolittle, 74, of Saint Paul, Minn., sent $32,874 to an alias, Jennifer Lennox, after being instructed to hand over her life savings. Norlito Soriano Sr., 77, of San Jose, Calif., mailed $8,364 to another alias, Armie Corps—this package was intercepted by state agents before it left the country.
Only one victim got their money back. Marjorie Hanson, 96, of Prescott, Ariz., sent $25,000 in cash to Huff—until local police intercepted the package and returned the funds. For others, the damage was irreversible. These weren’t just financial hits; they were psychological violations, exploiting trust and dignity for criminal profit.
Huff was arraigned shortly after her arrest, with bail set at $5,000 unsecured. She was also ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 19th at 10 a.m. before District Justice Richard King. The Office of Attorney General’s Organized Crime Section led the investigation, working with local law enforcement to dismantle this transnational fraud network.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Agency: Pennsylvania AG
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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