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Press Release

Jamaican Citizen Pleads Guilty In Scheme To Defraud United States Citizens

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida

Jacksonville, Florida – Darryl Cleon Forbes (26), a Jamaican citizen, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to court documents, between 2015 and 2017, Forbes participated in a fraudulent sweepstakes scheme, originating in Jamaica, which targeted victims throughout the United States, many of whom were elderly, and falsely informed them that they had won a significant cash prize in a sweepstakes contest. In order to carry out the scheme, Forbes and his co-conspirators called victims and posed as federal law enforcement agents. The conspirators advised the victims that in order to collect their prize, they first had to pay taxes and fees amounting to tens of thousands of dollars. Over the course of this conspiracy, Forbes and others collected between $2.5 and $3.5 million from their victims. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jay Taylor.

Updated November 19, 2019

Topics
Elder Justice
Financial Fraud