Hickory, NC – In a brazen scheme that left millions of elderly Americans vulnerable to Jamaican lottery scams, 57-year-old Troy Murray has been sentenced to 121 months in prison and three years of supervised release. On May 28, 2026, the North Carolina native was ordered to pay a staggering $5,214,688.48 in forfeiture for his role in selling personal information to scammers.
According to court documents, Murray’s seven-year scheme involved organizing, maintaining, and selling lists containing sensitive information such as names, phone numbers, addresses, ages, and email addresses of elderly Americans to Jamaican scammers. From 2016 to 2023, Murray raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars each year by selling these lists to scammers, who then used the information to perpetrate lottery fraud on unsuspecting victims.
Murray’s operation was a well-oiled machine, with scammers contacting him via email, text, or phone to request lists of names. In exchange for a hefty price – typically $500 for 100 to 300 names – Murray would provide the scammers with the personal information they needed to carry out their scams. The scheme was so lucrative that Murray became a go-to lead list broker for Jamaican scammers, earning him a reputation as a prolific and reliable supplier of sensitive information.
The full extent of Murray’s scheme remains a disturbing reminder of the ease with which scammers can exploit vulnerable individuals. The $5,214,688.48 forfeiture order is a small fraction of the estimated losses suffered by elderly Americans as a result of Murray’s actions. As the investigation into this case continues, it is clear that Murray’s sentence is a welcome step towards justice for those who have been victimized by his scheme.
Source: Department of Justice
