Damone D. Oakley, a resident of St. James, Jamaica, was extradited to the United States for his participation in a phony sweepstakes scheme that targeted elderly victims in the United States.
Oakley, 40, of Point District, in the parish, was charged with mail and wire fraud in a 16-count indictment. He made his initial appearance in federal court in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on July 12.
The indictment was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in June 2021 and was unsealed after the defendant’s extradition to the United States.
According to the indictment, Oakley sought to unlawfully enrich himself through a fraudulent sweepstakes scheme targeting the elderly.
Victims throughout the United States received mailings, text messages, or phone calls in which they were told that they had won millions of dollars and luxury vehicles in sweepstakes but first needed to pay taxes and fees in order to claim their winnings.
The indictment alleges that Oakley, using a variety of names, including “Officer Alex Logan” and “Officer Stan Valentine,” instructed his victims on how to spend their money (and to whom the funds should be sent), including through the use of wire transfers, direct bank deposits, the U.S. Postal Service and private commercial mail carriers. Victims were directed to send money directly to Oakley as well as to individuals in the United States and elsewhere who served as intermediaries and transmitted the money to Oakley.
In addition to sending cash or wire transfers, the indictment alleges that victims were directed to purchase electronics, jewelry, and clothing and then ship them to mail forwarding services in Florida. The victims never received any “winnings.”
“This is the first extradition requested by the United States in accordance with the evidentiary rules contained in Jamaica’s recently revised Extradition Act, and we are encouraged by the streamlined extradition process that led to the defendant’s appearance in federal court to face these charges,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
“Scammers like these are targeting the most vulnerable people in our society,” said U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
“In the Middle District of Pennsylvania, we are proud to prioritize and prosecute individuals who engage in such acts and commend our law enforcement partners who help make these results possible.”
Oakley is one of the dozens of Jamaicans who have been caught and charged with scamming elderly victims in the United States since the start of this year. Just last week, five Jamaicans were extradited to the United States in relation to allegations of lottery scamming and other serious offenses.
Locally, scamming offenses have dominated the case list in several parish courts, namely St James, Westmoreland, and Hanover.
National Security Minister Dr. Horace Chang says proceeds from lottery scamming, money laundering, cybercrimes, and drug and firearms trafficking have reportedly resulted in the annual flow of at least US$1 billion into Jamaica.
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