Why would anyone want to scam someone's elderly grandparents out
of their hard earned life's savings? They say money is the root of all evil,
and it's undeniably true. Oneike Barnett is one of hundreds of lottery scammers
originating from Jamaica.
A federal grand jury has indicted a
Jamaican native on charges that he ran a lottery scam targeting elderly South
Florida victims, who were flimflammed into sending thousands of dollars “to
release’’ purported winnings in the island nation.
The scam began in October 2008, when
Oneike Mickhale Barnett and accomplices started calling victims, telling them
they had won the lottery. Barnett, who called from Jamaica but used an Internet
program that allowed him to use a U.S. area code, convinced the victims to pay
fees in order to obtain the money and prizes, according to the U.S. attorney’s
office in Miami.
Some victims were told to mail, wire or
send money by courier to the middlemen who wired the money to Jamaica from Fort
Lauderdale, Lauderhill, Wilton Manors, Oakland Park and Tamarac to Jamaica. “Winners”
would send money, in some cases thousands, but never received a dime.
In addition to conspiracy, Barnett was
charged with 37 counts of wire fraud, which carry a maximum sentence of 30
years for each count.
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