News writer
Winning the lottery is supposed to be a dream come true — but for some, it turns into a nightmare. A group of scammers allegedly tricked elderly victims across the U.S. into believing they had hit the jackpot, only to swindle them out of thousands of dollars.
Now, after an FBI investigation, several suspects have been arrested in Alabama, and more could be on the way.
A lottery scam targeting the elderly
Officials in Alabama recently announced that the defendants, all Jamaican nationals, allegedly received over $200,000 in over 100 shipments of cash from the victims across the country. These victims were reportedly told by the defendants that they had won a lottery.
Many of the victims were elderly, and they were told to pay “taxes” on these supposed lottery winnings in order to receive the money. They were told to send cash to a fictitious name at an address that was linked to the defendants in Baldwin County.
In a statement to FOX 10, Parker Still, Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Mobile Division of the FBI, said, “The subjects operated a Publisher's Clearing House scheme, and in the course of doing that, they defrauded one of our most vulnerable groups — our elderly victims. In particular, these victims were defrauded from Florida all the way to California. Really, we saw this fraud scheme across the country.”
After an investigation, authorities arrested four current and former residents of Baldwin County for their participation in the fraudulent lottery scam. The four suspects arrested were Peter Walcott, Malik Chambers, Romario Nembhard, and Jermaine Smith. They were each charged with mail fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
If convicted, the suspects would face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge would determine the sentencing after a trial.
Are more arrests pending?
This case is currently being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mobile Division. They are being assisted by other agencies, including the FBI Baltimore Division, Homeland Security Investigations, and United States Customs and Border Patrol.
Officials said the investigation is still open, and there could be more arrests in the case.
Armed robbery at video lottery businesses
Meanwhile, in Oregon, a man was arrested in connection with two armed robberies at two different video lottery businesses. According to police, Marshall Richmond IV was arrested last week during his second robbery.
The first robbery took place around 12:10 a.m. PT on February 3, at the Dotty's on Southwest Martinazzi Avenue in Tualatin. He allegedly entered the business armed with a handgun, ordered the employee to open the safe and register, and then fled with an unknown amount of cash and lottery tickets.
The second robbery took place around 1:35 a.m. PT on February 4, at the Dotty's on Southwest Allen Boulevard in Beaverton. Employees recognized Richmond when he entered the store from the robbery the day before. They notified police while he was still inside the store.
Police arrived on the scene as Richmond was leaving the store, and he fled on foot, still armed with a handgun. Officers, including a K9 unit, were able to locate Richmond and arrest him. He was charged with two counts of first-degree robbery, but police believe he may have committed other robberies in the area.
Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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