Trio uses bogus sweepstakes prizes to scam people out of $1 million, feds say
Three New York residents are facing prison time after officials say they stole more than $1 million in a fake lottery scheme.
Caron Pitter, 47, Rohan Lyttle, 49, and Charlene Marshall, 44, were each convicted of two charges: conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to a Nov. 27 news release from the Middle District of Pennsylvania’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The three are accused of stealing over $1.1 million between 2017 and 2020, according to the release. The victims included a 70-year-old, a 78-year-old and a 90-year-old.
McClatchy News reached out to the attorney’s listed for the three defendants on Nov. 27 but did not immediately hear back.
Officials say the trio targeted Americans by having someone in Jamaica pose as a representative for Publisher’s Clearing House. The person used “lead lists” with the names and personal information of people to contact, according to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam.
“These individuals were contacted by phone and email and falsely told that they had won multimillion-dollar prizes through Publisher’s Clearing House but needed to prepay taxes and other fees in order to claim their supposed prizes,” the news release said.
The people were told to send money in several ways, including through the mail, bank wire transfers and money transfer apps like Zelle.
The 78-year-old and 70-year-old, both from Pennsylvania, collectively sent over $200,000 in cash packages, according to the release.
In some cases, officials said the “fraudsters” gained access to their Amazon accounts and credit cards and used them to buy televisions and phones. They also used stolen debit cards to make cash withdrawals in Jamaica, authorities said.
Pitter, Lyttle and Marshall ran an auto body shop in Queens, New York, as well as an affiliated used car dealership in Kingston, Jamaica, officials said. The three used the lottery scam proceeds to buy and repair salvage vehicles, then ship the vehicles off to be sold in Jamaica, the news release said.
The 78-year-old man from Pennsylvania was told that in addition to his cash prize, he also won a new Range Rover, the release said, but he was told he had to pay for and ship $15,000 in parts for the vehicle first.
Trial evidence showed the three used the parts to repair a 2019 Land Rover and then sold it in Jamaica, according to officials.
In addition to the conspiracy charges, Pitter was charged with several counts of mail fraud, and Lyttle was charged with multiple counts of mail fraud, wire fraud and interstate transportation of goods taken by fraud, according to the release.
The three are set to be sentenced in April.
A fourth person, Rohan Lyttle Jr., 26, was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. An attorney was not listed for the man, who is a fugitive, according to officials.
This story was originally published November 27, 2023 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Trio uses bogus sweepstakes prizes to scam people out of $1 million, feds say."
