Marc H. Silverman, the Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has indicted Jimmy Smith, a 30-year-old citizen of Jamaica currently residing in Hinesville, Georgia. Smith is facing charges related to an alleged sweepstakes scam.
Jimmy Smith was apprehended in Florida on March 17, 2025. He is now under home detention with electronic monitoring and will be arraigned in New Haven federal court on April 4.
According to the indictment, individuals involved in the scam contacted victims via telephone, misleading them into thinking they had won large cash prizes. Victims were told to pay fees or taxes to claim their winnings and instructed to send money through the mail to addresses controlled by scam operators or via wire transfers to various bank accounts.
The indictment claims that Smith and his accomplices defrauded at least four victims from Connecticut, New York, Texas, and California, insisting they had won a Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes and needed to pay taxes or fees to claim their prizes. Smith is accused of recruiting others to deposit money mailed by victims into their bank accounts. These associates would then withdraw the cash and either give it directly to Smith or send it via bank transfer applications.
An example cited in the indictment mentioned a Connecticut victim who, in July 2022, was informed by phone that she had won a $2.5 million prize, requiring tax payments to claim it. In August 2022, she sent a $75,000 check to Brooklyn, New York, made out to Keshelski & K Transport. The funds were deposited into an account named Keshelski & K Transports LLC, controlled by an alleged co-conspirator, Keshelski Bates.
Smith is also alleged to have been involved in a separate scheme defrauding an Arkansas resident, who was misled into thinking he was purchasing farm equipment.
The charges against Smith include one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conduct illegal monetary transactions. Each of these offenses carries a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman emphasized, "an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt." He added, "Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."
On January 21, 2025, Keshelski Bates, also 30 and from Hinesville, Georgia, waived his right to an indictment and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. He has been released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing.
The investigation is being led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from Army CID, the Hinesville Police Department, and the Orlando Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather M. Cherry is prosecuting the case.
Lastly, Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman expressed gratitude to the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of Litchfield for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution of this matter.
