PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Georgia man has pleaded guilty to participating in a wide-ranging lottery and sweepstakes scam that defrauded seniors out of at least $1 million in several states, the U.S. Attorney said.
Patrick Dallas, 38, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty in federal court in Rhode Island on Feb. 5 to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, U.S. Attorney Charles Calenda said.
Dallas is scheduled to be sentenced on May 7.
According to court documents, Dallas and two co-conspirators defrauded elderly people through a bogus “Publishers Clearing House” or similar sweepstakes scam. They then laundered the proceeds through entities and bank accounts they controlled.
Victims were told they had won large sums of money, often millions of dollars, in a Publishers Clearing House lottery or sweepstakes.
They were told that in order to collect their winnings, they had to provide personal identifying information for prize verification purposes and that they had to pay upfront fees or taxes.
Prosecutors said some of the victims were directed to send money, gift cards, or high-value items such as Rolex watches and iPhones, purportedly to cover these fees, to various addresses controlled by Dallas and his co-conspirators.
The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Warwick Police.
Homeland Security Investigations in Atlanta, Georgia State Patrol, Forsyth County Sherriff’s Office, Fulton Count Sherriff’s office, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the East Providence Police Department also assisted in the investigation.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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