NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana— A Jamaican living in New Orleans pleaded guilty in a United States federal court last Friday to charges connected to an alleged scheme to trick senior citizens into sending money for false lottery winnings.

Acdane Campbell, 25, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

According to a release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisana, Campbell is to be sentenced on February 10, 2022 by US District Court Judge Susie Morgan.

Allegations, as outlined by the indictment, are that from in or around August 2016, Campbell and others conspired to operate a scheme to obtain money unlawfully by falsely informing elderly victims that they had won a lottery, sweepstakes, or car. 

The “unidentified co-conspirators” allegedly contacted the victims and assured them that they would receive their winnings if they first paid taxes and fees.

After being instructed by the unidentified co-conspirators that they needed to send payments to Campbell, the senior citizens would send their payments electronically via three means. They included through a money services business; in the mail via FedEx; or the United States Postal Service. 

The US Attorney’s Office said Campbell worked as a “money mule” by either keeping “the money that he received from the victims or sent it to unknown persons in Jamaica”.

The Jamaican faces up to a maximum of five years in jail, a fine of not more than US$250,000 or twice the gross gain or twice to gross loss to any victim.

Further, he faces up to a maximum of three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of US$100.

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations.