Woman Thought She Won $5.5M. A Long Valley Man Conned Her Out Of Thousands, Cops Say

LONG VALLEY, NJ — A Long Valley man has been arrested after duping a 72-year-old woman from Michigan out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, police said.

Donald Johnson, Jr., 55, faces several fraud charges after he conned a woman into thinking she won a multi-million dollar sweepstakes, according to Michigan State Police.

A months-long investigation found that Johnson had called the Van Buren County woman, falsely congratulating her that she’d won a $5.5 million Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes, police said.

Johnson convinced her that the 72-year-old needed to pay the taxes on the winnings up front, ordering her to send $200,000 in the mail, according to authorities.

Further investigation found that more than $90,000 of the funds were sent to Johnson, officials said.

Johnson was arrested in Long Valley on Dec. 22, 2025, and he was extradited to Michigan.

He faces felony false pretenses charges greater than $50,000 but less than $100,000. He is held in a Michigan jail on a $500,000 bail while awaiting court proceedings.

Michigan State Police remind residents that legitimate sweepstakes do not require payment to claim winnings, and that calls requesting prizes or taxes are likely scams.