Florida Man Sentenced in $700,000 Elderly Fraud Case
Along with this sentence, Brown was ordered to repay his victim nearly $700,000 in restitution, according to a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Tennessee.
A Believable Lottery Scam Via Mail
Lenoir City police started an investigation in September 2021, according to the criminal complaint against Brown. Brown and his co-conspirators went to great lengths to convince the victim she had won the “Golden Casket International Sweepstakes,” including sending her notification of the win via mail, which included two checks, one for $3 million and one for $200,000.
They sent the victim another letter purportedly from the IRS that included a breakdown of the taxes she would pay from her “winnings.” That letter included the official IRS logo and the U.S. Presidential seal, according to the complaint.
All told, Brown and his fraud ring convinced the victim she owed $672,000 in various fees and taxes that she was to pay to “Richard” and “Lucky Graham.”
Undercover Operation
Lenoir City police found out about the scam and made a plan to catch the perpetrators. They surveilled a meeting in which the victim was supposed to make another payment to her scammers. The meeting was to occur in a Walmart parking lot on October 22, 2021, according to the criminal complaint.
The complaint also details how undercover officers noticed a Toyota RAV4 driving slowly through the Walmart parking lot. The victim received a phone call from “Richard” that he wanted to change the location of the meeting. At the same time, police noticed the RAV4 attempting to leave the parking lot.
The victim refused the meeting location change, telling “Richard” she didn’t have a GPS to find the new location.
A young man approached the victim’s car to collect money. When officers tried to stop him, he fled in a Nissan Altima. The RAV4 with two men also tried to flee, but luckily for police, a citizen blocked them in with a large pickup truck, allowing police to make the arrest.
The Defense Claimed Police Had No Probable Cause
During their trial, defendants tried to appeal and challenge the seizure of evidence from the RAV4, while claiming that the police lacked probable cause to arrest them.
Both of these motions were denied.
Along with Brown, three more co-conspirators were sentenced to prison in the case. Marklyn Antonio Forrester was sentenced to 63 months in prison, Jamail Jermain Ramsay to 36 months, while Jahmarley Kuboki McFarlane was sentenced to 57 months behind the bars for his role in this fraud, according to the press release. The fifth co-conspirator, Tessa Nicole Hines, the girl who Toyota RAV4 was registered to, is scheduled to be sentenced in October 2024 for her role in the case.
How to avoid lottery fraud
Many people are defrauded by lottery scams. Fraudsters go to extraordinary lengths to make their schemes believable, such as using logos from reputable organizations on documents and calling from what appear to be official numbers.
Be aware that any legitimate lottery will not ask for anything to be paid before claiming a prize, whether in the name of tax or some other fee. Also, do not give out any personal information, including bank details and passwords, to anyone who claims you have won a lottery.
You can report lottery scam attempts against you and your loved ones to your state’s Attorney General or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center here.
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