Three alleged scammers arrested

Bjorn Burke, Staff Reporter

Three Jamaicans residing in the United States, accused of scamming the elderly via telephone, were Thursday arrested and charged separately for their involvement in the fraudulent scheme.

Charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, with an enhanced penalty for targeting the elderly is 24-year old Shanice Ethridge, of Broward County, Florida, United States address.

Mikhail Gorbachev George Williams, 25, also of a Broward County, Florida address, was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and running an unlicensed money transmitting business.

Charged with mail fraud is Fabian Winston Parkinson, 33, of Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Elderly victims

According to www.miami.cbslocal.com, an investigation launched by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the US Postal Inspection Service and the Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) lead them to the three accused.

The three would reportedly call elderly victims, informing them that they had won a lottery or sweepstakes. It is believed that the trio would tell the victims that in order to claim their winnings, they first had to pay taxes, duties or fees.

“These arrests show that HSI is committed to stopping individuals who prey on our senior citizens,” Special Agent in Charge of HSI Miami, Alysa Erichs said in a statement. “We will continue to work with our international partners and other law enforcement agencies to put an end to these criminal organisations.”

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Three alleged scammers arrested