Alleged J'can lottery scamming mastermind makes appearance in US court

A St James businessman alleged to be the mastermind behind a local lottery scamming group has made his first appearance in a US court after being extradited from Jamaica.

Anthony Stewart, 38, of Bogue Village, waived his right to an extradition hearing in September when he appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.

He is charged in a nine-count indictment with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The indictment was filed in the US District Court for the Western District of North Carolina in December 2019 and was unsealed after the defendant's extradition.  

According to the unsealed indictment, Stewart and his co-conspirators sought to unlawfully enrich themselves through a fraudulent lottery scheme targeting the elderly.

The Department of Justice says victims throughout the United States received phone calls in which they were falsely informed that they had won cash prizes totalling over $1 million and needed to pay fees in order to claim their winnings.

The indictment alleges that victims were instructed on how to send their money, including through the use of money transmitter services, wire transfers, and the US Postal Service, and to whom.

The indictment further alleges victims were instructed to purchase electronics and other expensive goods and to send them to Stewart's co-conspirators, who ultimately forwarded the goods and money to Stewart in Jamaica.

The victims never received any "winnings.”

The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Jamaica to secure the arrest and extradition of Stewart.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.