Jamaican imprisoned for US sweepstakes scam
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A Jamaican man will serve more than six years in a US prison for a sweepstakes scam that cheated a Texan out of US$300,000.
The accused, Andre Hugh Saunders, was also ordered to repay more than US$505,000 to victims of the scheme, which targeted elderly people.
Prosecutors say Saunders, also known as David Turner, pleaded guilty in November to mail fraud and was sentenced Monday in Fort Worth.
The 35-year-old Saunders was arrested last October in New York. Investigators say he lived in Jamaica, Florida and New York while running the scheme since 2012.
Investigators say Saunders told a Fort Worth man that he won millions of dollars in a sweepstakes linked to Las Vegas and Australia. Saunders told the Texan that he must pay administrative fees and taxes before collecting any cash.
