Jamaican National Sentenced to Federal Prison for International Lottery Scam Targeting Elderly Victims

PITTSBURGH — A Jamaican national involved in an international lottery fraud operation that targeted elderly victims across the United States has been sentenced to federal prison after prosecutors detailed a years-long scheme involving wire fraud, money laundering, and financial deception operations designed to steal money from vulnerable individuals.

United States Attorney TROY RIVETTI announced Wednesday that TAJAY SINGH, 29, of Montego Bay, Jamaica, was sentenced in federal court to 54 months imprisonment for his role in the transnational fraud scheme.

United States District Judge ROBERT J. COLVILLE imposed the sentence following SINGH’s conviction involving violations of federal wire fraud and money laundering laws.

According to information presented in court, the fraud operation ran from approximately January 2021 through October 2023 and involved coordinated efforts by multiple conspirators operating across international jurisdictions.

Federal prosecutors stated the conspiracy specifically targeted elderly victims through fraudulent lottery prize schemes commonly associated with transnational financial fraud organizations operating from overseas call centers and criminal fraud networks.

Investigators stated victims were contacted and falsely informed they had won substantial lottery prizes or sweepstakes awards. According to prosecutors, the victims were then instructed to pay supposed taxes, processing fees, insurance costs, or release charges before being allowed to collect their winnings.

Authorities stated the promised prize money never existed and victims who sent funds never received any lottery payouts.

Federal investigators described the operation as a layered fraud and laundering network designed to conceal financial movement and complicate law enforcement tracing efforts. Prosecutors stated conspirators used other participants, victim-controlled accounts, wire transfers, cash withdrawals, and financial intermediaries to move stolen funds through multiple channels.

According to court records, members of the conspiracy also opened or utilized bank accounts in victims’ names while using additional conspirators and unwitting participants to redirect and disguise transactions tied to the fraud operation.

Authorities stated the scheme additionally involved purchases of physical goods, movement of money through wire transfer systems, and ATM cash withdrawals conducted in Jamaica as part of the laundering structure used to distribute proceeds from the fraud.

Federal investigators have repeatedly warned that lottery and sweepstakes scams continue to disproportionately target elderly individuals, retirees, and isolated victims through psychological manipulation, urgency tactics, repeated phone contact, and false promises of large financial rewards.

Law enforcement agencies have also identified a continuing trend involving organized transnational fraud networks operating from overseas locations while targeting victims inside the United States through telecommunications systems, online communications, and money transfer infrastructure.

Federal authorities stated many fraud victims are repeatedly targeted after initial contact, often resulting in substantial financial losses accumulated over extended periods of time. Investigators additionally noted that some victims are manipulated into secrecy and instructed not to inform family members, financial institutions, or authorities about ongoing communications with scammers.

The case reflects continuing federal enforcement efforts targeting international fraud operations connected to elder financial exploitation, cross-border money laundering activity, and organized scam networks.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

Assistant United States Attorney KELLY M. LOCHER prosecuted the case on behalf of the federal government.

Federal authorities continue to encourage the public, particularly elderly individuals and caregivers, to remain cautious regarding unsolicited prize notifications, requests for advance payments tied to winnings, or demands involving taxes and processing fees connected to supposed sweepstakes or lottery awards.

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