Jamaican National Sentenced in Sweepstakes Scam Targeting the Elderly

Northeast Radio SD News – Sioux Falls, SD - A Jamaican citizen was sentenced on Monday in federal court to 63 months in prison for his role in a years-long sweepstakes scheme that defrauded an elderly California woman of more than $181,000.

Dwayne Anderson, 36, of Hannover, Jamaica, was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay $181,075 in restitution following his 63-month prison term. The sentence was announced by officials from the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota.

According to court documents, Anderson operated the scheme from 2010 until 2017. He contacted the victim using aliases through phone calls, text messages, and emails, falsely claiming she had won millions of dollars in a sweepstakes. Anderson then persuaded the victim to send money to cover purported taxes and fees required to release the winnings.

As part of the deception, Anderson provided specific instructions on how to make these payments, including directing the victim to send funds to an individual in South Dakota. Despite the victim’s repeated payments, no winnings were ever delivered.

The investigation led to Anderson’s arrest by Jamaican authorities on July 11, 2024, following a U.S. indictment. He was extradited to the United States in August 2024 and pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in September 2025.

“This case underscores the devastating impact that sweepstakes scams have on older Americans who are targeted because of their trust and generosity,” said U.S. Attorney Ronald A. Parsons Jr.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case with assistance from the Jamaica Constabulary Force. The prosecution was handled by the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota.