Jamaican Man Jailed 6 Years for $3.4M Lottery Fraud Targeting 28 US Victims

Sefton Olivair Stewart, 41, was sentenced to 72 months in prison for defrauding 28 victims of $3.4 million in a fake lottery scheme.

Jamaican Man Sentenced to 72 Months Over Nationwide Lottery Fraud

A Jamaican national has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for his role in a lottery scam that defrauded 28 victims across the United States of $3.4 million, wwmt.com reports.

Sefton Olivair Stewart, 41, also known as "Powa," pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Among those defrauded was at least one West Michigan resident.

Stewart was extradited from Jamaica by the U.S. Marshals Service. The sentencing was confirmed by the office of U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Timothy VerHey.

Between October 2019 and September 2024, Stewart and co-conspirators told people in the United States that they had won large prizes — including cash and luxury vehicles — through a multistate lottery. Victims were then instructed to pay taxes and fees upfront before collecting their supposed winnings. Fake bank documents and counterfeit U.S. government paperwork were used to make the scheme appear legitimate.

Stewart will be deported from the United States upon completing his prison sentence.

Source: Google News JM — Crime