WASHINGTON, United States — The United States Department of Justice today announced that a woman has been sentenced to 40 months in prison for her role in a Jamaica-based lottery fraud scheme.

She is Vania Lee Allen.

According ot the Department of Justice, Allen’s 40 months in prison will be followed by three years of supervised release.

She was also reportedly ordered to pay $117,000 in restitution.

Allen, 30, pleaded guilty on June 22 in the Southern District of Georgia to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and false impersonation of an employee of the United States.

“Lottery fraud scams based in Jamaica targeting Americans typically need help from at least one co-conspirator in the United States,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Impersonating an FBI agent to convince an innocent victim that this so-called international lottery is real is deceitful, pure and simple. The Justice Department will actively pursue and charge those who participate in such criminal activity.”

As part of her guilty plea, Allen acknowledged that she and a co-conspirator in Jamaica sought to unlawfully enrich themselves through a fraudulent lottery scheme targeting an elderly resident of Evans, Georgia.

An indictment charging Allen was filed on March 3. According to the indictment, Allen’s co-conspirator falsely informed the victim that he had won money in a lottery and instructed the victim to make payments to various people in order to collect the purported lottery winnings.  As part of her plea agreement,

Allen acknowledged that in order to induce the victim to continue to make payments as directed by her co-conspirator, Allen travelled from Jamaica to the United States to meet with the victim personally. Allen also acknowledged that when she met the victim, she falsely portrayed herself as a FBI agent, provided the victim with a cell phone, and directed him to speak with the person on the line, who was Allen’s co-conspirator in Jamaica.

“The prison sentence given by the court demonstrates the significant consequences of engaging in fraud designed to steal from Americans,” said US Attorney Edward J Tarver of the Southern District of Georgia. “International lottery scams will not be allowed to continually target the most vulnerable segments of our communities without fear of severe consequences.”

The Department of Justice said Allen’s prosecution is part of its effort to work with federal and local law enforcement to combat fraudulent lottery schemes in Jamaica that prey on US citizens.

According to the US Postal Inspection Service, Americans have lost tens of millions of dollars to fraudulent foreign lotteries.