A Euclid man is facing multiple federal charges for his alleged role in a “sweepstake scam” that officials say stole more than $250,000 from its victims.
Javon Spencer, 30, was indicted and arraigned in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on three counts of mail fraud, as well as charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Federal prosecutors said the alleged scam targeted the elderly.
According to the indictment, members of the alleged scam would contact victims and falsely claim that the victim had won a prize through a lottery, sweepstakes or other contest. The scammers would then tell that victim that there was an upfront fee or tax required in order to receive the prize money.
Victims were then allegedly directed to mail cash, checks or money orders payable to Spencer at his address in Euclid.
The alleged scams occurred from March 2018 through April of 2019, according to the indictment. In one instance around June 2018, one of the members of the criminal conspiracy allegedly telephoned a victim and told them they had won money in a sweepstakes. The alleged scammer told the victim to pay $4,500 in upfront delivery fees.
On June 14, 2018, the victim allegedly mailed Spencer a $1,000 money order and a $500 money order payable to Spencer. The next day, Spencer or another person directed by Spencer allegedly deposited the money orders in his bank account. Over the following month, the victim twice more…
