Seffner Woman Sentenced To 33 Months In Prison For Her Role In Jamaican Lottery Fraud Scheme

Tampa, FL –U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich today sentenced Jennifer Samuels (47, Seffner) to 33 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit mail fraud in connection with Samuels’s role as a middleman, or money mule, in a Jamaican lottery fraud scheme. As part of her sentence, the court also entered a money judgment of $209,800.13, the proceeds of the fraud.

Samuels had pleaded guilty on October 17, 2018.

According to court documents, Samuels and co-conspirators identified potential victims and contacted them by telephone, falsely claiming the individuals had won the lottery in Jamaica, but needed to pay money for taxes in order to receive the funds. If a potential victim agreed, Samuels’s co-conspirators directed the victim to send these fees to a middleman, who received the funds and distributed them to the conspirators. Samuels agreed to be one of these middlemen.

In May 2016, Samuels’s co-conspirators contacted an elderly victim residing in the Middle District of Florida and falsely told the victim that he had won $1.4 million and a Mercedes-Benz vehicle as part of a Jamaican lottery sweepstakes. A conspirator told the victim that in order to receive his lottery winnings, the victim would need to pay the taxes on the winnings upfront. Between May 2016 and May 2018, the victim sent 52 checks totaling $209,800.13 to Samuels, which the victim believed were to pay for the taxes associated with his lottery winnings. 

Samuels deposited the victim’s checks into her bank accounts or cashed them. She then transferred the majority of the funds to her conspirators in Jamaica and Florida by cash delivery or wire transfer. Samuels also kept a portion of the funds for herself.

“Criminals who target older citizens in these schemes are heartless in their relentless pursuit of profit, at great cost to the elderly victims,” said HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero. “While today’s sentencing highlights HSI’s role in stopping this crime, I strongly encourage anyone with elderly loved ones to familiarize themselves with these schemes and take steps to protect them from exploitation.”

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Peresie.