Jamaican man sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for operating a sweepstakes scam
Victims were told to pay fees or taxes to claim their winnings, and they were instructed to send money through the mail to various addresses controlled by scam participants, or to various bank accounts through wires
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The United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut announced that Jimmy Smith, of Jamaica, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for his involvement in operating a sweepstakes scam.
Court documents revealed that the scam involved victims being contacted by telephone, falsely informing them that they had won large sums of money.
Victims were then told to pay fees or taxes to claim their winnings. They were instructed to send money through the mail to various addresses controlled by scam participants or to various bank accounts through wires.
Smith, alongside others, defrauded at least four victims from Connecticut, New York, Texas, and California by telling them they had won a Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes.
The Connecticut resident was contacted by phone and told she had won a $2.5 million sweepstakes prize and needed to pay taxes to claim her winnings.
In August 2022, the victim mailed a $75,000 check made out to Keshelski & K Transport to an address in Brooklyn, New York.
The money was deposited into an account in the name of Keshelski & K Transports LLC, which was controlled by Keshelski Bates, who was a co-conspirator of Smith's.
Officials say victims lost more than $2.6 million through these schemes.
Smith was arrested on March 17, 2025. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud on Nov. 18, 2025.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with the assistance of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, and police departments from Hinesville, Georgia and Orlando, Florida.
