Jamaican citizen pleads guilty to wire fraud for sweepstake scam that defrauded elderly victim of more than $550,000

Tacoma - A Jamaican citizen pleaded guilty this week in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to wire fraud for his lottery scheme that cost an elderly victim more than $550,000, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Roshard Andrew Carty, 34, was arrested in Jamaica on August 21, 2025, and arrived in the Western District of Washington for arraignment on October 23, 2025. Carty will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright on May 14, 2026.

According to records filed in the case, Carty first contacted the 73-year-old Vancouver, Washington victim in 2020. He posed as an employee of Publisher's Clearinghouse and claimed the victim won $22 million and a car in the lottery, but that she needed to pay taxes and fees to access her winnings. He convinced the victim that the FBI was recording the call and told her she was not to tell anyone about the big win. Between August 2020 and February 2024, he convinced the victim to send more than $550,000 to various money couriers throughout the United States, who ultimately sent the money to Carty in Jamaica.

Carty's requests for cash started small and grew over time. He had the victim remove small amounts of cash from her accounts and send them to a U.S. location via FedEx. Carty told the victim the money was lost or stolen and demanded more. Carty told the victim to borrow against her home so she could send more money. Carty convinced the victim to sell her home to cover additional "costs and fees" to claim her prize. In all, Carty stole more than $550,000 from the victim by having her mail the money to various couriers in the U.S.

Carty was relentless in contacting the victim using various phone numbers and texting programs. He contacted her thousands of times throughout the fraud. When she tried to cut off contact, he tried sending tow trucks, and pizza deliveries, and asked her landlord for a welfare check to try to get back in touch with the victim.

Carty was indicted in November 2024. Following his August 2025 arrest in Jamaica, Carty consented to extradition to the United States.

The U.S. Embassy in Jamaica has a page devoted to lottery scams based in that country. Find it hereLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link.. The bottom line: You never should pay to receive a prize and any request for advance fees is a scam.

Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors have agreed to recommend no more than 41 months in prison and the defense is free to recommend any sentence. Judge Cartwright is not bound by the recommendation and can impose any sentence allowed by law.

The case is being investigated by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Watts Staniar and David T. Martin. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs worked with the Government of Jamaica to secure the arrest and extradition of Carty.