Jamaican National Sentenced for Long-Running Sweepstakes Scheme

An extradited Jamaican citizen was sentenced today to 63 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for participating in a long-running scheme to defraud an elderly California woman. According to court documents, Dwayne Anderson, 36, of Hannover, Jamaica, undertook a scheme to defraud an American woman from 2010 until 2017. Using fake names, Anderson contacted the victim by telephone, text message, and email and falsely informed her that she had won millions of dollars in a sweepstakes. The defendant persuaded the victim to send money to pay various purported fees and taxes associated with the alleged winnings. He also carefully instructed the victim how to make the payments, including having her send money to an individual in South Dakota. In furtherance of the scheme, Anderson repeatedly contacted the victim with additional requests to pay money and falsely told her that her winnings would be forthcoming so long as she paid the requested amounts. In total, the victim paid Anderson over $181,000. In September 2025, Anderson pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Anderson was arrested on July 11, 2024, by Jamaican authorities based on a U.S. indictment and was extradited to the United States. At sentencing, Anderson was ordered to pay more than $181,075 in restitution.