Mother, 16-y-o son sentenced for lottery scamming

A St Elizabeth mother and her 16-year-old son are among three persons who have become the latest convicts to receive prison sentences for lottery scamming.

This brings to nine the number of persons sentenced for lottery scamming in the just-concluded sitting of the Circuit Court in the parish.

The 16-year-old boy, his mother, Denise Sutherland, and a 19-year-old accomplice were sentenced yesterday for breaches of the Law Reform (Fraudulent Transactions)(Special Provisions) Act.

All three pleaded guilty to the charges last Friday.

The 16-year-old boy, from Jerusalem in Santa Cruz, was given three years' probation after admitting to knowingly possessing identity information.

His mother, who pleaded guilty to four counts of aiding and abetting the commission of an offence contrary to the law, was sentenced to three years on each count. The sentences will run concurrently so she will only spend three years in prison.

And, the third person, Tafarie Haddad, who pleaded guilty to three counts of aiding and abetting the commission of an offence contrary to the law, was sentenced to two years on each count. His sentences will also run concurrently.

The three were arrested last November during an operation at their house carried out by the St Elizabeth Proactive Investigations Unit. The house search uncovered a book containing names, addresses, contact numbers, and social security numbers of persons living in the United States. Western Union and MoneyGram receipts were also reportedly discovered.

A victim, who resides in the United States, said in a statement that he was swindled out of more than US$60,000.