NEW ORLEANS - U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that ACDANE CAMPBELL, age 24, a resident of Jamaica, was charged by a grand jury on November 6, 2020, in a 1-count Indictment for Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud.
According to the Indictment, from in or around August 2016, CAMPBELL and others conspired to operate a scheme to obtain money unlawfully by falsely informing elderly victims that they had won a lottery, sweepstakes, or car. The unknown co-conspirators called the victims and promised that the victims receive their winnings if they first paid taxes and fees.
After being instructed by an unidentified co-conspirator that they needed to send payments to CAMPBELL, the victims would send their payments electronically through a money services business or in the mail via FedEx or the United States Postal Service. CAMPBELL either kept the money that he received from the victims or sent it to unknown persons in Jamaica.
If convicted, CAMPBELL faces a minimum of 5 years imprisonment, a fine of not more than $250,000, supervised release of at least 3 years, and a special assessment fee of $100.00.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations.
U. S. Attorney Strasser reiterated that the Indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Sharan E. Lieberman.
Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or at 1-877-FTC-HELP. The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office of Victims of Crime at www.ovc.gov. Additional elder justice resources, training, and outreach materials can be found at the Elder Justice Website at www.elderjustice.gov.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
