7 scammers who victimized Western Pennsylvanians indicted by federal authorities

Seven people have been indicted in a $3 million sweepstakes scam federal authorities said targeted people older than 75 in the western half of Pennsylvania and elsewhere across the country.

The money ultimately made it to Jamaica, where it was withdrawn by people who are accused of being part of the conspiracy, according to prosecutors.

The investigation, led by the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Services and the Department of Homeland Security, extended into Jamaica, where three of the suspects were arrested last week.

“These defendants allegedly enriched themselves at the expense of elderly victims who believed they had won the lottery,” U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan said in a statement.

Indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering are: Jason Plummer, 31; Troy Williams, 38; and Tajay Singh, 26, all of Montego Bay, Jamaica; Tashane Murray, 30, of Miramar, Fla.; Clevon McKenzie, 31, of Mount Vernon, N.Y.; Gyzzell Byfield, 27, of Bridgeport, Conn.; and Daneil Reid, 27, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Indictments allege that, between January 2019 and October 2023, the suspects were part of a conspiracy that purchased identifying details for people older than 75. Those people were contacted in a variety of ways, including by phone and email, and informed they had won a huge cash prize and other benefits. But first, they’d have to pay taxes and fees, the scammers claimed.

Members of the conspiracy would befriend the purported sweepstakes winners by sending them small gifts in an effort to learn more personal details they could exploit, according to the indictments. It was unclear from the indictments where in the Western District of Pennsylvania the crimes happened, but at least some were in Allegheny County.

Members of the conspiracy are accused of impersonating officials from government agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission and banks, financial agencies and attorneys, according to the indictment. They requested cash, checks, wire transfers, money orders and gift cards for the supposed tax and fee payments.

Investigators said members of the conspiracy used personal details of the people they were scamming to open bank accounts and credit cards in an effort to assist with the covert transfer of money into bank accounts in Jamaica.

“Members of the conspiracy induced the victims to liquidate investments, sell homes, drain savings accounts, open new bank accounts, take out loans against their homes, vehicles or annuities, surrender their Social Security benefits and take other drastic financial steps in order to pay the fees that the victims believed were necessary to obtain their lottery winnings,” the grand jury wrote in the indictment.

The conspiracy was wide-reaching and targeted some of society’s most vulnerable, said Mike Nordwall, FBI Pittsburgh special agent in charge.

“Unfortunately, it’s a crime that is increasing every year, and Pennsylvania remains one of (the) top states in the country that is impacted,” he said in a statement.

How to spot a scam

Such sweepstakes scams have been reported in Westmoreland County in recent years. An 87-year-old Hempfield woman lost $3,900, a Hempfield man was duped out of $15,000 and an 88-year-old woman turned over $58,000 in cash and gift cards to someone she knew only as “Dave” in Hempfield.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, there are three tell-tale signs of a sweepstakes scam: Some type of a fee must be paid before the winnings can be collected, a scammer claims that paying will increase the odds of winning and bank information is being requested.

Scammers might use various tactics to get a person to pay up: claiming to be from a government agency or a well-known sweepstakes, sending a check and asking for part of it back or requesting money to be sent quickly. It can be difficult or impossible to get any money or gift cards returned once a scammer obtains it. Scams can be reported to reportfraud.ftc.gov.