Carrick woman charged by AG's office in $300,000 in scams

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Carrick woman, 72, charged by AG's office in scam linked to Jamaica
April 5, 2017 11:51 PM

Jamaica scam press conference Attorney General Josh Shapiro talks about the case involving a Carrick woman and Jamaican scammers during a news conference Wednesday in Brentwood.
Shelly Bradbury/Post-Gazette
Attorney General Josh Shapiro talks about the case involving a Carrick woman and Jamaican scammers during a news conference Wednesday in Brentwood.
By Shelly Bradbury / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Authorities believe a 72-year-old Carrick woman wired nearly $300,000 in stolen funds to Jamaican telephone scammers over the course of at least eight years -— and continued to send stolen money even after law enforcement officers told her to stop.

Audrey Huff of Spencer Avenue was arrested Wednesday by the state attorney general’s office on seven charges including conspiracy, corrupt organizations and multiple counts of theft by deception.

She is accused of acting as an intermediary for the Jamaican scammers, according to a state grand jury presentment. The scammers convinced elderly people to send money to Ms. Huff, and she in turn wired the funds to Jamaica, according to the presentment.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro held a news conference Wednesday afternoon in Brentwood about the case.

The scammers used various lies to convince the elderly victims to send money, at times posing as FBI agents and telling the victims that their bank accounts were being investigated for fraud and that as part of the investigation they had to send all their money to Ms. Huff, according to the presentment.

Ms. Huff told authorities the scammers told her she had won $3.5 million in the Jamaican lottery, but that in order to collect the funds she first had to pay taxes on the winnings. She said she initially sent money from her Social Security check to the Jamaicans each month, but then the scammers eventually told her that “generous donors” would be helping to pay the taxes.

From that point on, packages of cash began arriving at her address, Ms. Huff told investigators. She would wire her own Social Security money and the cash to the scammers, according to the presentment.

Investigators told Ms. Huff as early as 2013 that the setup was a scam, that she was taking part in a crime and that she should stop sending the money, according to the presentment. However, the presentment said, Ms. Huff continued to send the money to Jamaica even after multiple warnings from law enforcement.

Mr. Shapiro said Ms. Huff may have been roped into the scam as a victim, but said at some point she realized she was defrauding others and still didn’t stop.

“Perhaps this began with Ms. Huff thinking she was a victim,” he said, “but it became very, very clear that she knew exactly what she was doing. She was defrauding seniors across this country out of their hard-earned money. She was warned about it, she persisted, she knew what she was doing and she was arrested today.”

Between 2014 and February 2017, Ms. Huff sent more than $295,000 to Jamaica in 293 wire transfers, according to the presentment.

None of the scammers in Jamaica have been charged as part of this investigation, but Mr. Shapiro said his office is looking at other suspects and that he hopes to continue to “climb the pyramid” and find the people pulling the strings.

Mr. Shapiro also warned senior citizens to ignore calls from anyone professing to be involved with the Jamaican lottery.

First Published April 5, 2017 2:30 PM