J’can in US charged in suspected fraud scheme
Published:Friday | April 4, 2025 | 12:08 AMLivern Barrett/Senior Staff Reporter
A Jamaican man residing in Georgia is facing criminal charges for allegedly operating a multistate sweepstakes scam that fleeced four elderly women of thousands of dollars, United States (US) authorities have disclosed.
Jimmy Smith, 30, is charged on an indictment handed down by a federal grand jury with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering and illegal monetary transactions, the US Attorney for the District of Connecticut announced in a statement.
Another resident of Georgia, Keshelski Bates, 30, who was also charged in connection with the scheme, has waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, the statement said.
He has been released on US$100,000 bail pending sentencing.
The alleged victims, who are from the states of Connecticut, New York, Texas, and California, were allegedly told that they had won multimillion-dollar jackpots in a Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes and needed to pay fees or taxes before they could claim their ‘prizes’.
Thousands of dollars raked in from the scam were withdrawn from several US bank accounts via automated teller machines in Jamaica, prosecutors alleged in the indictment, a copy of which was obtained by The Gleaner.
Smith was arrested in Florida on March 17 and is currently confined to home detention under electronic monitoring and is scheduled to appear before a federal court in New Haven, Connecticut, tomorrow.
Citing one example, prosecutors said one victim – referred to as D. P. – was contacted via telephone in July 2022 by someone claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House, the well-known American company that organises sweepstakes and other contests and games.
The caller told D. P. that she was the winner of a US$2.5-million prize but needed to pay ‘taxes’ to claim her ‘winnings’.
A month later, D. P. mailed a package containing a US$75,000 cheque made payable to Keshelski & K Transport, a company controlled by Bates with an address in Brooklyn, New York, the indictment revealed.
Another complainant – a California woman identified only as J. H. – made out a cheque for US$50,000 to 4K Shipping Done Right and Bates’ wife on October 31, 2023, the indictment claims.
On November 3 that same year, J. H. made out a cashier’s cheque for US$65,000, this time to Keshelski & K Transport.