A Jamaican man who authorities said masterminded a lottery scam that defrauded at least 95 Americans out of more than US$5.8 million was sentenced yesterday to six years in federal prison. Lavrick Willocks, 29, operated the scam out of a Jamaica mansion in which he lived with his mother, Dahlia Hunter, prosecutors said. They eventually charged 27 people and identified victims in at least five states: North Dakota, South Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, and Arizona. Authorities said one of the victims died by suicide.

All the defendants have pleaded guilty or been convicted, and most have been sentenced, including Hunter, who was sentenced last week to about 1 ½ years of time served. The case is being prosecuted in North Dakota because the investigation began there in 2012, a year after an 82-year-old woman lost her life savings.

Willocks pleaded guilty in July 2017 to conspiracy, and prosecutors dropped 65 other counts of wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering. He faced up to 40 years in prison, but Assistant US Attorney Jonathan O’Konek recommended only about six years because Willocks cooperated and his plea deal prompted several other defendants to also plead guilty.(JAMAICA OBSERVER)…[+]