PROVIDENCE, RI — An Atlanta man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Rhode Island for his role in a lottery and sweepstakes scheme that tricked senior citizens out of at least $1 million across multiple states.
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According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island, Patrick Dallas,38, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty on Feb. 5 to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Court documents show Dallas, who is also listed as being from Cumming, Ga., worked with two co-conspirators in a bogus “Publishers Clearing House” or similar sweepstakes scheme.
Investigators say the group targeted elderly victims, falsely telling them they had won millions of dollars in lottery or sweepstakes prizes.
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Victims were instructed to provide personal identifying information for “prize verification” and were told they had to pay upfront fees or taxes to collect their winnings.
Prosecutors say some victims were directed to send cash, gift cards and high-value items, including Rolex watches and iPhones.
The items were mailed to addresses controlled by the defendants. Authorities say the money was then laundered through entities and bank accounts managed by the group.
Dallas is scheduled to be sentenced on May 7.
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