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TACOMA, Wash. - A Jamaican citizen who stole more than $600,000 from an elderly woman in southwest Washington will spend the next three years in federal prison.
Jamaican man sentenced for $600,000 lottery scam
What we know:
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), 34-year-old Roshard Andrew Carty was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma for wire fraud. Between 2020 and 2024, he posed as a Publisher's Clearinghouse employee and told a 73-year-old woman she had won $22 million and a car. He convinced her she needed to pay "taxes and fees" to access the money and warned her not to tell anyone, saying that the FBI was recording her calls.
The woman was pressured into sending cash using FedEx to couriers across the U.S., eventually borrowing against her home and selling it to cover the fake costs. Carty was arrested in Jamaica in August 2025 and extradited to the U.S. to face charges.
What we don't know:
It's unclear which cities in southwest Washington and the other potential victims identified by law enforcement live in.
The backstory:
This particular case is part of a broader trend of international lottery scams. The U.S. Embassy in Jamaica maintains a dedicated resource page for these types of fraud, noting a primary red flag: legitimate prizes never require advance fees or payments.
What they're saying:
"This defendant was relentless in defrauding a vulnerable victim," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. "He stole the money she was counting on to survive in retirement, so that he could buy luxuries and live large in Jamaica." W. Mike Herrington of the FBI Seattle office added that Carty "relentlessly and cruelly manipulated" the victim, even abusing the credibility of law enforcement to further the scheme.
What's next:
After his three-year prison term, Carty will likely face deportation. Federal prosecutors express concern in sentencing memos that he may return to fraudulent activity after his release, as the U.S. Probation Office cannot effectively monitor him once her returns to Jamaica.
The Source: Information in this story comes from a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington and the FBI Seattle field office.
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