By Kimone Witter
A Jamaican national was on Thursday sentenced to sixteen years imprisonment for his role in a fraudulent sweepstakes scheme that targeted elderly victims in the United States.
Damone Oakley, 41, of St. James, Jamaica was convicted in federal court in Scranton, Pennsylvannia.
Oakley was extradited to the United States in 2022 and pleaded guilty in July this year, to two counts of mail fraud and two counts of wire fraud.
Officials said the scheme ran from at least 2010 through 2019.
Oakley's victims received mail, text messages or phone calls in which they were falsely told that they had won millions of dollars and luxury vehicles in a sweepstakes, but they first needed to pay taxes and fees in order to claim the winnings.
Oakley used fake names such as "Officer Alex Logan" or "Officer Stan Valentine" and instructed his victims on how to send their money.
In addition to sending cash or wire transfers, Oakley's victims were directed to purchase electronics, jewelry and clothing, which were sent to mail forwarding services in Florida, and then onward to him in Jamaica.
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