Greg Warren Clarke, 29, of Montego Bay, St. James, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, according to court records, for his involvement in a fraudulent lottery scheme run out of Jamaica that tricked American victims into paying money to claim fictitious lottery winnings.
On October 28, Clarke is scheduled to receive his punishment.
According to the department, an indictment against Clarke was submitted to the Southern District of Florida’s US District Court in April 2019 and unsealed upon Clarke’s return to the US in May 2022.
The justice department claimed that as part of his guilty plea, Clarke admitted that between roughly September 2013 and roughly August 2015, he collaborated with others, including Claude Anthony Shaw, in a fraud scheme in which victims were called and misinformed that they had won over a million dollars in a lottery and needed to pay fees or taxes in order to claim their winnings.
It said that victims were told to send their money to Shaw and other people via wire transfers or the mail.
The department claimed that Clarke also acknowledged that, as a part of the conspiracy, he and Shaw talked about how they would get the money from the victims over the phone and through texts.
It claimed Shaw received funds from Clarke at his direction.
The agency claimed Clarke additionally acknowledged discussing plans with Shaw for victims to wire money to other people with whom Shaw had business relationships.
It stated that no lottery winnings were ever obtained by victims who contributed money to Clarke and his accomplices.
In the US District Court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Shaw already admitted guilt to mail fraud, according to the agency.
He received a 36-month prison term injunction in June 2017.
