GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Jamaican man was sentenced to prison for defrauding victims of over $3 million.
41-year-old Sefton Olivair Stewart, also known as “Powa,” was sentenced to 72 months in prison for his role in a nationwide scheme that defrauded 28 victims of $3.4 million, including a West Michigan resident.
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Stewart was extradited from Jamaica to Grand Rapids by the U.S. Marshals Service, where he pleaded guilty in a conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, according to a release from the office of U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey.
Between October 2019 and September 2024, Stewart and other co-conspirators falsely told people in the U.S. that they had won large prizes, including cash and luxury vehicles, in a multistate lottery.
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In order to claim the prizes, the co-conspirators told the victims to first pay taxes and fees associated with their winnings. Conspirators used fake bank and U.S. government documents to convince victims…