TUCSON, Arizona – An American man who sold lead lists containing the personal information of American citizens to Jamaican lottery scammers, was sentenced to 70 months in a United States prison on Tuesday. 

Joseph Andre Batts, 44, of Sicklerville, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

According to a release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, Batts participated in the lottery scheme between 2013 and 2018, where  Jamaican-based scammers called elderly victims in the US, claiming the victims had won a lottery or other prizes. 

To receive their winnings, the victims were told that they must first pay money for taxes and fees. 

“Batts’ role in this scheme was to sell and distribute ‘lead lists’, which contained the names and personal information of thousands of primarily elderly individuals for the scammers to contact,” the US Attorney’s Office said.

Further, Batts distributed scamming scripts and template letters to teach others how to conduct the scheme. 

He then used others to help launder portions of the fraudulent proceeds.

Several agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and United States Postal Inspection Service, conducted investigations into the case.