SOUTH DAKOTA, United States— A Jamaican man extradited to the United States for his role in a long-running scheme to defraud a California woman made his first appearance in a South Dakota court on Tuesday.

Dwayne Anderson, 35, of Hanover is charged with eight counts of wire fraud.

The charges were filed in the US District Court for the District of South Dakota in February 2023 and were unsealed upon Anderson’s extradition to the United States on August 22. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count.

According to court documents, Anderson was arrested on July 11 by Jamaican authorities following a US request for extradition. He remained in custody until his extradition in August.

Allegations state that from as early as 2010 until September 2017, Anderson participated in a scheme to defraud an American woman.

It is reported that he used fake names to contact the woman by telephone, text message, and email, falsely informing her that she had won millions of dollars in a sweepstakes. Anderson allegedly the victim, who believed his false representations, to send money to cover various fees and taxes associated with the sweepstakes.

It is alleged that the accused repeatedly contacted the woman with additional requests for money, assuring her that her winnings would be forthcoming once she paid the requested amounts.

Anderson allegedly induced the American woman to travel to Jamaica in September 2017 by falsely informing her that she could collect her prize winnings there. He reportedly instructed her to bring US$1,600 in cash and to give the money to a driver who met her at the airport. The woman paid the purported fees but never received any of her supposed winnings.

US authorities credited the Jamaica Constabulary Force for their instrumental role in Anderson’s arrest and extradition.