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Kerry-Ann Simpson reports
A Jamaican man is to face a federal court in the US state of Arizona on Monday on charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
The arraignment and detention hearing will be held at that time for Sherwayne Bellinfantie, known as 'Ice Man'.
Bellinfantie was extradited to the US on June 12 to face the charges, which relate to a romance and a sweepstakes scheme that targeted an Arizona resident.
A federal grand jury in Tucson indicted Bellinfantie in March 2022 for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
He was arrested in Jamaica on an extradition warrant on July 3, 2023.
The indictment alleges that from December 2015, through January 2019, Bellinfantie and his co-conspirators participated in a scheme targeting an 85-year-old woman.
Using a fictitious name, Bellinfantie and his co-conspirators deceived the victim by leading her to believe she was engaged in a romantic relationship.
In furtherance of the scheme, one of the co-conspirators would send flowers with love messages to the victim's residence.
The conspirators also falsely represented to the victim that she had won the lottery or another monetary prize to induce her into sending them money to pay taxes or other fees.
The victim lost US$400,000 in the scam.
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