A Jamaican on Tuesday pleaded guilty in a court in Washington DC to trying to extort money from a couple who he tried to trick into believing they had won the Mega Millions lottery.
Keniel Thomas, 29, pleaded guilty in a court for the District of Columbia to a charge of interstate communication with the intent to extort. He will be sentenced on January 11, 2019.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, Thomas faces a likely range of 33 to 41 months in prison and a fine of up to US$150,000. Following completion of his prison term, he will face deportation proceedings.
According to the government's evidence, Thomas placed a call on June 9, 2014 to a man who lived in Washington DC. The Jamaican told the man that he was the winner of $15.5 million and a 2014 Mercedes Benz.
Thomas told the man that he needed to pay $50,000 to cover the taxes before the award was provided to him.
Shortly after the call, the man contacted the FBI.
The following day, the man called the Jamaican who was recorded by the FBI.
This time, he said the man was the first-place winner of a prize valued at $72 million and that included a 2014 Mercedes Benz with a year of free insurance.
Once again, Thomas said that the man needed to send $50,000 to him to cover the taxes on the prizes.
Over the course of the next month, Thomas made numerous calls to the man in attempts to get the money. He also reached the man's wife and threatened violence if the money was not paid.
Thomas was arrested on December 18, 2017, after he traveled by plane from Montego Bay to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
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