A Montego Bay, Jamaica man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, and ordered to pay more than $5 million in restitution, after having been convicted at trial in North Dakota on multiple fraud-related charges.

Sanjay Ashani Williams is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud or mail fraud, conspiracy to commit international money laundering, and 35 counts of wire fraud associated with his participation in the Jamaican lottery fraud.

“This case should send the message to fraudsters around the world, if you victimize North Dakota citizens, we can and will find you and bring you to justice,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Myers said. “It is our hope that this groundbreaking prosecution will open doors for other jurisdictions to prosecute these cases and that the lessons we’ve learned can be used across the country.”

26-year-old Williams was the first Jamaican national tried and convicted in the United States for selling lead lists for use in international cyberfraud. Lead lists consist of the names, telephone numbers, and personal information of potential victims and are sold to lottery scammers.

According to the Department of Justice, Williams knowingly sold lead lists to co-conspirators Lavrick Willocks and approximately 400 other Jamaican lottery fraud scammers, identifying victim targets for the lottery scammers.

Williams and other scammers deliberately targeted victims over the age of 55. In this case alone, more than 80 victims of Williams’ conspiracy were identified, with reported losses totaling more than $5.5 million.

Individual victims of this conspiracy lost as little as $300 and as much as $850,000 to Williams and his co-conspirators. Nationwide, the number of Jamaican Lottery Fraud victims likely is in the millions, with some estimates of annual losses in excess of $1 billion.

Sanjay Williams personally threatened to kill one victim’s sons and rape the victim’s daughters after the victim refused to send additional money. Williams told the victim that he knew where the victim lived. Another victim of the conspiracy was so distraught by her involvement in the scheme that she committed suicide after investigators set up a meeting to speak with her about it.

Top Jamaican law enforcement officials emphasize that lottery scamming has directly led to a dramatic increase in violent crime – including murder, shootings, and extortion – in Jamaica, as rival scammers battle one another over lead lists and profits. Scamming activity creates ripple-effects harming Jamaican businesses, including tourism and discouraging foreign investment.

In addition to Williams, 25 other defendants from Jamaica and the United States were charged in the same indictment. The investigation is on-going.

IMAGE: Sanjay Ashani Williams

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