Financial Elder Abuse Scheme: Nigel John-Ross Henry, a 38-year-old Jamaican citizen, has been sentenced to 75 months in prison for his involvement in a financial elder abuse scheme. The conspiracy, revealed in court documents, operated as a sweepstakes scam specifically targeting elderly victims across the United States. Victims were falsely informed of winning a substantial sum in a lottery they never entered, but to claim the prize, they were coerced into paying taxes on the winnings. The scam escalated with frequent calls demanding more “tax” money, and in some cases, a co-conspirator posed as the victim’s paramour to make the requests more convincing. The scheme persisted until victims were financially drained or realized they were being deceived. The criminals, including co-conspirators Diedre Rochelle Weir and Diedria Roseanne Faulkner, manipulated victims into divulging Personal Identity Information (PII) which was then used to take over their identities and exploit their financial accounts. The stolen funds were eventually wired to Henry in Jamaica.
Legal Consequences and Restitution: As part of a plea agreement, Henry pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud as well as aggravated identity theft, leading to a 75-month prison sentence and five years of supervised release. Henry is also obligated to pay restitution totaling $331,569.39 jointly with co-conspirators Weir and Faulkner, who were each sentenced to 21 months imprisonment in December 2023. The criminal indictment resulted from an investigation by the United States Secret Service, led by Senior Special Agent Lesley Cochran. U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton, III, and Resident Agent in Charge Jason Brown of the United States Secret Service announced the sentencing, emphasizing the commitment to prosecuting those involved in financial elder abuse schemes.