BISMARCK, ND (AP) — As prosecutors in a Jamaican lottery scam case called on victims to testify Wednesday about how they were duped out of their savings accounts, the lawyer for the man on trial said authorities should have investigated whether his client was himself a victim of stolen identity.

Sanjay Williams, 25, of Montego Bay, Jamaica, has pleaded not guilty in federal court to conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering. Williams, the first of 32 defendants to go to trial, is accused of buying and selling so-called “sucker lists” with the names of potential victims.

While questioning FBI Special Agent Frank Gasper on Wednesday, defence attorney Charlie Stock said investigators should have looked into an incident in which Williams’ email account was hacked. Stock said they should have checked whether Williams’ credit card information was stolen.

On several occasions, Stock referred to his client as “this Sanjay Williams,” implying that prosecutors had the wrong guy.

Gasper replied that there’s plenty of other evidence against Williams, including passport information, money wire receipts, various account information, and a credit card Williams used that was confiscated when he was arrested.

Prosecutors say Williams is tied to Lavrick Willocks, considered to be the mastermind of the operation that originated in the Montego Bay area. Gasper agreed with Stock’s contention that the operation Willocks is accused of running was sophisticated and adept at hiding identities, using aliases and falsifying phone numbers and email addresses. Willocks has been charged and is awaiting extradition from Jamaica.

Stock said in his opening statement that so many people in the case have used fake names that it’s hard to believe witnesses.

Prosecutors called on more victims in the case to testify Wednesday, including a woman who still sent money to an alleged scammer after Gasper contacted her about the scam. That witness, Bridgette Rzepnicki, a home health care worker from Cincinnati, told the court that she was contacted by someone wanting money after she arrived in Bismarck on Monday.

All of the victims who have testified so far say they have not heard of Williams or met him.

US District Judge Daniel Hovland offered Rzepnicki some advice before he excused her from the witness stand.

“Don’t spend another nickel with someone on the phone who you don’t know personally,” the judge said.