Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Taxi Driver Gets a One Way Ticket to Federal Prison for his Part in Lottery Scam

A former taxi driver from Wisconsin has been convicted for his part in the Jamaican lottery scam.

O’Brain Junior Lynch from Milwaukee preyed on the hopes of people on social security benefits by contacting them and saying they had won the Jamaican lottery. Before the funds could be released though, they would be required to pay the taxes and fees. One victim even managed to scrape together a staggering $100,000 to pay the fictional fees, but instead of received a big payout he discovered it was all a big rip-off and lost nearly everything he owned.

"He knew what he was doing," U.S. Attorney, James Santelle, said about Lynch. "He purposely set out to defraud people. Taking their social security benefits, taking their life savings, promising things he plainly did not have."

Social security investigator, Bill Cotter, stated, "There are people doing this all around the world; preying on beneficiaries in the United States, whether they’re making phone calls or doing it by email."

Cotter also pointed out genuine organization do not contact people out of the blue and request personal information, such dates of birth and social security numbers.

Lynch refused to talk to the press, but his attorney stated that although his client realizes he had profited from vulnerable victims, he only wanted to make a little extra money to support his family.

Lynch has been sentenced to five years in federal prison and will have to pay back over $185,000 to his victims.