Jamaican Man Sentenced to 6.5 Years in Prison for Role in International Lottery Scam Targeting Elderly

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A resident of St. James parish in Jamaica was sentenced in federal court on July 21, 2026, to 78 months of incarceration on his conviction of violating federal wire fraud and money laundering laws, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

United States District Judge Robert J. Colville imposed the sentence on Troy Williams, 41, of Montego Bay.

According to information presented to the Court, from approximately January 2019 to October 2023, Williams conspired to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering by defrauding elderly victims through a lottery scam. As part of the scam, members of the conspiracy called elderly victims and informed them that they had won a lottery but needed to pay taxes and fees to receive their prize. The victims would send the money as directed but never received the prize money. The conspirators used a network of other conspirators and victims, as well as bank accounts opened in victims' names, wire transfers, purchases of physical goods, and ATM withdrawals in Jamaica to execute and obfuscate their scheme.

Assistant United States Attorney Kelly M. Locher prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from Jamaican authorities and the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs in the arrest and extradition of the defendant, for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Williams.