NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging a Jamaican man living in Hinesville, Ga. with offenses connected to conducting an alleged sweepstakes scam that took money from a Connecticut victim.
Smith was arrested in Florida on March 17, according to a release from the Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut. Right now, he is in home detention on electronic monitoring. He is scheduled to be arraigned in New Haven on Friday.
The indictment alleges that through the sweepstakes scam, scammers contacted victims by phone and falsely told them they won large amounts of money. Victims were told they must pay fees or taxes to claim their winnings and were instructed to send money through the mail to addresses controlled by the scammers or to bank accounts they operate…