Georgia Man Sentenced For Jamaican Lottery Scam

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https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/geor ... ttery-scam

Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of Massachusetts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, March 8, 2019

Georgia Man Sentenced For Jamaican Lottery Scam

BOSTON – A Georgia man was sentenced yesterday in federal district court in Boston for his role in a bogus advance fee Jamaican lottery scheme in which victims were defrauded of more than $1 million.

Peter Anthony Chin Jr., 35, of Atlanta, Ga., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 57 months in prison, two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $1,139,828 in restitution. In December 2018, Chin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

From 2012 to 2017, Chin was part of a scheme that targeted elderly individuals throughout the United States, including Massachusetts. The victms were informed via phone, email and mail that they had won millions of dollars in a lottery, but that they had to pay the taxes on their purported winnings before the funds could be released. Chin’s co-conspirators directed the victims to mail or wire funds to Chin or to his associates. Chin kept a portion of the funds for himself and then distributed the rest as directed by his co-conspirators, including sending significant amounts to Jamaica.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; and Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra S. Bower of Lelling’s Criminal Division prosecuted the case.

Component(s):
USAO - Massachusetts
Updated March 8, 2019