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Two Jamaicans in the United States were last week each sentenced to more than five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to their roles in a fraudulent lottery scam that targeted elderly victims in that country.
24 year old Rojay Lawson and 53 year old Theresa Lawson were last Thursday sentenced to 78 months, followed by three years of court ordered supervision, in the event they are not deported upon release.
They were also ordered to pay 405 thousand US dollars in restitution.
Evidence provided in the United States District Court in Charleston, South Carolina showed that, as part of the scheme, the defendants, or their co-conspirators, contacted elderly victims and falsely informed them that they had won a sweepstake.
The victims were told they needed to pay bogus fees and/or taxes in order to collect their purported winnings.
The Lawsons received more that 700 thousand US dollars from the victims, which was wired to co-conspirators in Jamaica.
There were at least 175 victims under the scheme.
The oldest victim was 96 years old.
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