More US extradition warrants for alleged lottery scammers coming

Christopher Thomas, Gleaner Writer

Dominick Riley, United States Postal Inspection Service Attaché at the US Embassy in Kingston, today revealed that a significant number of extradition warrants will be issued this month for alleged Jamaican lottery scammers to face justice in America.

He made the disclosure while addressing today's final day of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry's inaugural security summit, which is being held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St James.

While he did not indicate how many extradition warrants will be issued, Riley declared that US authorities will not lose the war against lottery scamming.

"Scammers can stay ahead and make an advance some of the times, so we have not lost this war, but we are definitely in for a fight. Extraditions will pick up and we shall see a lot more extraditions coming in the future, this month, as there are several in the pipeline," Riley told the summit.

He reminded the public that while lottery scamming is seen by some as a 'victimless crime' the activity causes suffering for American retirees, who are usually targeted, and the Jamaican relatives of scammers, who may be targeted for retribution.

One recent US lottery scamming extradition case is that of Greg Warren Clarke, who is from Montego Bay, St James, and who has been wanted in Florida since 2019.

The US District Court for the Southern District of Florida in April had previously issued a warrant for Clarke's arrest.

Clarke waived his right to an extradition hearing and signed the consent form when he appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Tuesday.

He was charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud and international money laundering.

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