A Jamaican national was extradited to the United States and made his initial appearance today in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, following his role in a long-running scheme to defraud a California woman.
Dwayne Anderson, 35, of Hannover, Jamaica, will face federal wire fraud charges. He was arrested, pursuant to the U.S. request for extradition, on July 11, by Jamaican authorities. He has remained in custody in Jamaica since that time.
According to the indictment, from as early as 2010 until September 2017, Anderson participated in a scheme to defraud an American woman. Using phony names, he contacted the victim by telephone, text message, and email and falsely informed her that she had won millions of dollars in a sweepstakes. Anderson persuaded the victim, who believed the defendant’s false representations, to send money to pay various fees and taxes associated with the sweepstakes. He instructed the victim on how, and to whom, to send these payments. Anderson repeatedly contacted the victim with additional requests to pay money and told the victim that her winnings would be forthcoming if she paid the requested money.
Anderson induced the victim to travel to Jamaica in September 2017 by falsely informing her that she would be able to collect her prize winnings. He told the victim to bring $1,600 in cash with her to Jamaica and instructed the victim to give the money to a driver that met her at the airport. The victim paid the purported fees but never received any of her purported winnings.
“The Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch is committed to bringing transnational criminals who defraud Americans to justice, wherever they are located,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Ensuring that those who perpetrate these types of fraud schemes are held accountable is a priority of the department, and I thank the government of Jamaica for its assistance extraditing the defendant to face charges here in the United States.”
“Making a living by exploiting the trust of Americans and draining their hard-earned savings is despicable,” said U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell for the District of South Dakota. “The District of South Dakota, working alongside our law enforcement partners, will pursue and prosecute anyone who engages in criminal acts that harm Americans.
“Collaboration between international law enforcement partners is critical to protecting the international rule of law and the U.S. Mailstream,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Criminal Investigations Group. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to protecting Americans from transnational crime and is grateful to our partners in Jamaica for assistance in bringing Anderson to Justice.”
Anderson is charged with eight counts of wire fraud filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota in February 2023 and was unsealed upon the defendant’s extradition to the United States on Aug. 22. If convicted, Anderson faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count.
USPIS investigated the case. The Jamaica Constabulary Force provided critical assistance. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Jamaica to secure the arrest and extradition of Anderson.
Trial Attorneys Brandon Robers and Edward Emokpae of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Hoffman for the District of South Dakota prosecuted the case.
The Justice Department continues to investigate and bring charges in other similar matters involving attempts to defraud residents of the United States. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available.