NORTH DAKOTA, United States (AP) — Only four of the Jamaicans extradited to the United States in connection with a lottery scam that authorities say bilked at least 90 Americans out of more than US$5.7 million are still scheduled for trial in January.
The other nine suspects have pleaded guilty, with the most recent being O’Neil Brown and Dahlia Hunter who had earlier reached plea deals with prosecutors.
They pleaded guilty to conspiracy in separate hearings last week. The Government dropped dozens of fraud and money laundering counts.
Among the other seven defendants who have pleaded guilty in recent months is Hunter’s son, Lavrick Willocks, who authorities say masterminded the scam.
Besides the four suspects still scheduled for trial, two others remain fugitives in Jamaica.
The case is being prosecuted in federal court in North Dakota. Prosecutors believe it to be the first large-scale Jamaican lottery scam prosecuted in the US. The investigation, dating to 2011, resulted in charges against 27 people.