Jamaican Lottery Scam: 13 Suspects Enter Pleas

BISMARCK, ND — Each of the 13 suspects have entered pleas in U.S. federal court in a Jamaican lottery scam that authorities say bilked at least 90 predominantly elderly Americans out of nearly $6 million.

More than a third of the suspects have already admitted guilt or are scheduled to do so. Two suspects extradited from Jamaica to the U.S. earlier this month have pleaded not guilty in federal court in North Dakota. Tristan Fisher and Akil Gray waived detention hearings Monday and will remain in custody as await trial.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Clare Hochhalter asked U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland to add Fisher and Gray to the list of suspects scheduled for trial early next year. That list is thinning, however, as five of the 15 defendants in the case have reached agreements with prosecutors calling for them to plead guilty to a conspiracy count. In exchange, the government would drop 65 other counts of wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering. (For more information on the Jamaican lottery scam case and other North Dakota stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

The latest suspect to reach such a deal, O'Neil Brown, signed it Sept. 7. He's to plead guilty Oct. 3 in Bismarck.

Suspects Jason Jahalal and Xanu Morgan, who signed plea deals in late August, have had change-of-plea hearings scheduled for next week. Suspect Alrick McLeod, who signed his deal in late July, is scheduled to plead guilty Oct. 16.

Lavrick Willocks, the man accused of being the kingpin, pleaded guilty in late July. His sentencing hasn't been scheduled. Prosecutors are recommending a sentence of about 10 years in prison.

Six suspects remain scheduled for trial in January, with Hovland not immediately ruling on whether to add Fisher and Gray to the list. The last two suspects remain fugitives.

Prosecutors started to build a case after a North Dakota woman lost her life savings of more than $300,000 in 2011.

Jamaican lottery scams have been happening for years, but prosecutors say no cases of this magnitude have been prosecuted. The suspects are accused of calling victims about bogus lottery winnings, persuading them to send advance fees to receive the purported winnings, then keeping the money without paying out anything to the victims.

By BLAKE NICHOLSON, Associated Press

Photo credit: Burleigh County Sheriff's Department via AP