Jamaican Carlos O'Brien Ricketts appears before a United States District Court in Harrisonburg, Virginia, today, charged with operating a fraudulent lottery scheme.
A federal grand jury returned a 27-count indictment last Thursday charging 31-year-old Ricketts with money laundering, wire fraud, mail fraud and conspiracy as the US government continues to crack down on Jamaican lottery scammers targeting elderly US citizens.
The indictment alleges that Ricketts and cronies tricked US residents into sending him thousands of dollars as fees for fake lottery winnings. According to the affidavit in support of criminal complaint, subscribed and sworn before US States Magistrate Judge the Honorable James G Welsh on October 30, 2014, "Beginning no later than May 2010 and continuing through at least April 2011, Ricketts was a middleman in the United States for a fictitious sweepstakes operating from Jamaica".
The affidavit states that at least one of Ricketts' co-conspirators contacted the elderly citizens in the US and informed them that they had won a sweepstakes and induced them to pay money in advance of receiving their purported winnings. Ricketts would keep part of the money and send the rest to Jamaica, via wire transfers.
Ricketts, the allegations state, would sometimes go by the name Kevin Brown and victims of his scheme would send money to him at his home address in Stephens City, Virginia.
In May 2010, the affidavit states, one victim sent Ricketts a cheque for US$15,000 to cover 'taxes' on winnings. Days later, the same victim also sent money, US$1,100, by Western Union to Ricketts. In July, said victim sent Ricketts a further US$17,500. Most of the money was deposited to bank accounts in the United States and on May 24, 2010, Ricketts sent US$11,200 to a G.B. in Jamaica.
Several other cases were outlined in the affidavit where Ricketts would use similar methods to obtain money fraudulently from unsuspecting victims and after receiving the money would wire it to persons in Jamaica. Ricketts is being represented by attorney Andrea Harris.
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