Massive Elder Fraud Sweep: RI Man Accused

PAWTUCKET, RI—A Rhode Island man has been arrested with more than 200 alleged fraudsters who targeted mostly elderly victims, the U.S Attorney's Office said Thursday. Shawn Whitfield, 47, of Pawtucket, allegedly told his victims they won a lottery. He then tried to con them into paying taxes or fees on their prize, the authorities allege. They estimate he collected about $98,100 and sent most of the money to Jamaica, where the scam originated. Whitfield allegedly ran the scam from April 2015 to January 2018 and took money from 47 people in 23 states.

Police raided his home on Tuesday. The same day he was arrested at his workplace in Norwood, Mass. After an appearance in Providence federal court, he was released with an ankle monitoring bracelet and an unsecured $10,000 bond.

The lottery scam is just one of several financial schemes "from around the globe" that squeezed more than half a billion dollars from more than a million Americans, mostly senior citizens, prosecutors said. The frauds run the gamut from identity theft, mass mailings, and telemarketing and investment scams, involving thousands of victims to theft by relatives against one victim.

"The cases include criminal, civil, and forfeiture actions across more than 50 federal districts, including Rhode Island," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

According to U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, the sweep is "the largest elder fraud enforcement action in American history." Sessions said elder fraud costs Americans $3 billion a year, and the problem is growing, due to new technology. But last month, all the U.S. Attorney's offices named an elder justice coordinator to protect seniors in their districts.

“The Justice Department and its partners are taking unprecedented, coordinated action to protect elderly Americans from financial threats, both foreign and domestic,” he said. "Today is only the beginning. I have directed Department prosecutors to coordinate with both domestic law enforcement partners and foreign counterparts to stop these criminals from exploiting our seniors.”

"If you are a victim or know a victim of elder fraud, you can call 1-877-FTC-HELP or go to ftc.gov/complaint," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

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