ST JAMES, Jamaica — A 26-year-old American man, who was sentenced to two concurrent 15-month prison terms at hard labour for his involvement in lottery scamming last December, was again brought before the Montego Bay Circuit Court for possession of identity information of other people with intent on Tuesday.

He has been identified as Randy Alexander Mulraine, a resident of Brooklyn, New York.

The police reported that on November 30 last year, Mulraine arrived at the Donald Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay from New York City. On arrival, he was reportedly searched and the police said cash amounting to US$9,843 was found hidden in shoes in his luggage and on his person.

Further investigation carried out by the Lottery Scam Task Force revealed that the money in Mulraine’s possession were proceeds from lottery scamming activities.  

He was arrested and subsequently charged for possession of criminal property, bringing into Jamaica criminal property and possession of another person’s identity information with intent to use same to commit an offence.

The cash was forfeited to the crown and the two 15-month sentences at hard labour  — one for possession of criminal property and the other for bringing criminal property into Jamaica — handed down to Mulraine when he appeared in the St James Parish Court on December 22. However, the prosecution offered no evidence for the possession of another person’s identity information with intent to use same to commit and offence.

Police Sergeant Kevin Watson of the Lottery Scam Task Force said that many criminals who operate as money mules — people who carry money into Jamaica on behalf of lottery scammers — believe that once the money that they are carrying is below the US$10,000 threshold that they can conceal the source.

“This is a   false notion” Watson asserted, adding: “Once the money is found to be proceeds from criminal activities such as Lottery Scamming that person will be held liable”.

Watson warned that people who engage in lottery scamming as money mules “will be held fully accountable and face the full force of the law”.

According to Watson, this is the first of more than 20 cases before the court since the re-introduction of the Lottery Scam Task Force last September. “We are feeling good about this particular conviction and we are anticipating similar of better convictions as time progresses,” he added.