Jamaican National Sentenced for Scamming Over $120,000 From Elderly Widow

BOSTON – A Jamaican national was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for running a false lottery scheme.

Kemal Barnes, 34, a Jamaican national residing in Malden, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patti B. Saris to 15 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution of $118,367. Barnes will be subject to deportation upon completion of his sentence. On April 12, 2017, Barnes pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud.

In September 2015, Barnes contacted an elderly woman in Texas and convinced her that she had won a lottery prize of millions of dollars.  Barnes informed her that in order to claim her prize she was required to send cash payments to “Mary Jones” and “Kenneth Wilson” in Malden, Mass. These payments totaled over $120,000, which Barnes claimed were for lottery taxes and fees.  After making these payments, the victim’s son contacted law enforcement.  After a two-month investigation, a federal search warrant was executed at Barnes’ Malden apartment.  Cell phones – equipped with the “magicjack” voiceover application – and computers used in the fraudulent lottery scheme were seized during the search.

Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb and Shelly Binkowski, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David G. Tobin and Nicholas Soivilien of Weinreb’s Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.