SOUTH DAKOTA, United States (CMC) — A Jamaican has pleaded guilty in a United States (US) District Court in connection with a long-running scheme to defraud a California woman.

Dwayne Anderson, 35, of Hanover, Jamaica, pleaded guilty to a federal US indictment and was extradited to the United States in 2024, where he has remained incarcerated pending trial.

As part of this plea agreement, Anderson admitted that, from as early as 2010 until September 2017, he participated in a scheme to defraud an American woman.

Allegedly, using phoney names, Anderson contacted the victim by telephone, text message and email and falsely informed her that she had won millions of dollars in a sweepstake. He persuaded the victim, who believed his false representations, to send money to pay various purported fees and taxes associated with the sweepstake.

He also instructed her on how and to whom to send these payments. Anderson repeatedly contacted the victim with additional requests to pay money and told her that her winnings would be forthcoming if she paid the requested money.

The victim paid the purported fees, losing more than US$181,000, but never received any of the purported winnings.

“The Department of Justice is committed to protecting Americans from the threats posed by transnational criminals and will vigorously pursue them, wherever they are located,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

“Anderson is the latest example in the department’s ongoing efforts to combat these kinds of foreign-based schemes and hold those involved accountable.”

Attorney for the District of South Dakota, Alison Ramsdell, said Americans are increasingly falling victim to devastating fraud schemes perpetrated by transnational criminals.

“Whether it happens in a rural community or a metropolitan area, the Department of Justice will ensure these criminals are held to account for their shameless targeting of vulnerable individuals and their hard-earned savings,” Ramsdell said.

Inspector in Charge, Eric Shen, of the US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group, said, “If you target vulnerable Americans with schemes designed to steal their hard-earned money, you will become our target.”

“The US Postal Inspection Service knows no boundaries when it comes to protecting our communities. We will find you, we will stop you, and we will hold you accountable.”

The US Postal Inspection Service investigated the case, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Jamaica to secure the arrest and August 2024 extradition of Anderson.

US officials say reporting can help the authorities identify those who commit fraud, and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses.