Jamaican man admits to scamming Americans with lottery scam

Jamaican man admits to scamming Americans with lottery scam

The following press release was published by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys on April 11, 2018. It is reproduced in full below.

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA - Zicko Peterkin, of Montego Bay, Jamaica, has admitted to operating a lottery scam to defraud American citizens, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Peterkin, age 34, pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud." As a part of that conspiracy, Peterkin and others made unsolicited phone calls and emails to hundreds of residents in the United States, making false claims that the recipients had won a multi-million dollar lottery prize and a Mercedes Benz vehicle. Peterkin and co-conspirators told victims that, to receive these prizes, they had to send money to cover “processing fees." Peterkin also sent images of forged cashier’s checks to the recipients, showing the intended target as the payee of the check. In response, victims wired at least $250,000 to Peterkin and his co-conspirators. The crime occurred from September 2008 to July 2011 in the Northern District of West Virginia and other locations across the country.

Peterkin faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew R. Cogar is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The case was investigated by the Treasury Inspector General for the Tax Administration.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys

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