SCRANTON, PA — A Jamaican national has been sentenced to 192 months in prison for his role in a fraudulent sweepstakes scheme targeting elderly victims across the United States. The sentencing took place on November 9, 2023, in federal court in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Damone Oakley, 41, from St. James Parish, Jamaica, was extradited to the United States in 2022. In July 2023, he pleaded guilty to two counts of mail and two counts of wire fraud.
From 2010 through 2019, Oakley was involved in a fraudulent sweepstakes scheme. His victims, primarily elderly and vulnerable individuals, received notifications falsely stating that they had won millions of dollars and luxury vehicles in a sweepstakes. However, they were told they first needed to pay taxes and fees to claim their winnings.
Oakley used pseudonyms, such as “Officer Alex Logan” and “Officer Stan Valentine”, and guided his victims on how to send their money. Victims were located throughout the United States and sent money via wire transfers, direct bank deposits, the U.S. Postal Service, and private commercial mail carriers. In addition to cash or wire transfers, victims were instructed to purchase electronics, jewelry, and clothing that were then forwarded to Oakley in Jamaica. Victims lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process and never received any “winnings”.
U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Middle District of Pennsylvania, stated, “This sentence reflects our office’s commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society and punishing those who engage in this type of behavior.”
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, emphasized the department’s commitment to pursuing individuals who prey on vulnerable and elderly victims through fraudulent schemes.
Inspector in Charge Eric Shen, of the U.S. Postal Inspection Services (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group, warned that scammers operating beyond U.S. borders are no longer safe from prosecution.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Linda I. Marks of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Haugsby for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. USPIS conducted the investigation.
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