Jamaican Man Gets Prison for $600K Scam Targeting Elderly Woman in Washington

The Scam That Cost an Elderly Woman Her Life Savings

A Jamaican national has been sentenced to three years in prison for wire fraud after orchestrating a lottery scam that left an elderly woman in Washington with more than $600,000 in losses. Roshard Andrew Carty, 34, was arrested in Jamaica on August 21, 2025, and later arrived in the United States for arraignment on October 23, 2025. He pleaded guilty in February of this year.

“This defendant was relentless in defrauding a vulnerable victim,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd. “At every turn when she tried to end the contact, he persisted in playing on her isolation and her fear of losing the money she had already lost. He stole the money she was counting on to survive in retirement, so that he could buy luxuries and live large in Jamaica. It is despicable conduct deserving of this punishment.”

A Fake $22 Million Prize and Years of Manipulation

According to court records, Carty first made contact with a 73-year-old woman from southwest Washington in 2020. He posed as an employee of Publisher’s Clearinghouse, claiming she had won $22 million and a car in the lottery. However, she needed to pay taxes and fees to access her winnings.

Carty convinced the woman that the FBI was recording their calls and told her she couldn’t tell anyone about her win. Between August 2020 and February 2024, he persuaded her to send over $600,000 to various money couriers across the U.S., which was then sent to him in Jamaica.

The initial requests for cash started small but grew over time. Carty instructed the woman to withdraw small amounts from her accounts and send them to locations in the U.S. via FedEx. When she claimed the money had been lost in transit, he demanded more. He also told her to borrow against her home to send additional funds. Eventually, she sold her home to cover other "costs and fees" to claim her prize.

Relentless Contact and Desperate Tactics

The Department of Justice (DOJ) noted that Carty was relentless in contacting the victim, using multiple phone numbers and texting programs to communicate. He reached out to her thousands of times throughout the scheme. When the victim tried to cut contact, Carty resorted to sending tow trucks and pizza deliveries, and even asked her landlord for a welfare check in an attempt to reconnect with her.

“Mr. Carty relentlessly and cruelly manipulated and intimidated his elderly victim to deprive her of her life savings for his own profit,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “His lies in pursuit of her money even went so far as to abuse the trust and credibility of law enforcement by claiming the FBI was recording a call. Ultimately, the victim lost her home without receiving any of the fictitious prize money Mr. Carty had promised.”

Concerns About Other Victims and Future Offenses

The victim was not the only one impacted by Carty’s scheme. Investigators believe other victims may have been targeted, and they are concerned that Carty may commit similar crimes again once he completes his sentence.

“Carty’s conduct here shows he is relentless, callous, and has an aptitude for deception — he is unlikely to be deterred by the reality that his conduct left people like Victim 1 destitute,” the government stated in Carty’s sentencing memorandum. “Carty knew Victim 1, Victim 2, and likely others were insolvent because of him, and yet he persisted in his scam. And unlike with U.S.-based defendants, the U.S. Probation Office cannot effectively monitor Carty when he returns home.”

Carty was indicted in November 2024 and consented to extradition to the United States following his arrest in August 2025 in Jamaica. He then pleaded guilty in February.

A Warning Against Lottery Scams

The U.S. Embassy in Jamaica has a webpage dedicated to lottery scams originating from the country.

“The bottom line: You never should pay to receive a prize, and any request for advance fees is a scam,” the DOJ stated.