HARRISBURG, PA — Three individuals, originally from Jamaica and now lawful permanent residents of the United States, have been found guilty on all charges against them, following a two-week jury trial that concluded on November 17, 2023. The defendants, Caron Pitter, 47, Rohan Lyttle, 49, and Charlene Marshall, 44, were indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering. A fourth defendant, Rohan Lytle Jr., 26, remains a fugitive.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, the defendants received funds from victims of a Jamaican lottery scam that was operational between 2017 and 2020. An individual based in Jamaica, posing as a representative of Publisher’s Clearing House, used “lead lists” containing personal information of elderly Americans to falsely inform them that they had won multimillion-dollar prizes. The victims were directed to prepay taxes and other fees to claim their supposed prizes through various methods, including bank-to-bank wire transfers, Zelle, MoneyGram, and Western Union, and by sending packages containing large sums of money.
The scam also involved unauthorized access to victims’ credit cards and Amazon accounts, which were used to purchase items such as mobile phones and televisions. Debit cards linked to victims’ checking accounts were also used to make cash withdrawals at ATMs located in Jamaica.
Several victims testified at the trial, including a 78-year-old former resident of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, a 70-year-old resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a 90-year-old resident of Walterboro, South Carolina. These victims collectively lost over $1.1 million in this fraudulent scheme.
The prosecution presented evidence that the defendants operated an auto body shop, Rocars Auto in Queens, New York, and an affiliated used car dealership, Rolcam Company Limited, based in Kingston, Jamaica. The proceeds from the lottery scam were used to purchase and repair salvage vehicles, which were then shipped to Rolcam Company Limited for sale in Jamaica.
The defendants employed various means to disguise their receipt of victim funds, including distributing the money among each other for deposit in a variety of bank accounts and exchanging the funds for cashier’s checks to avoid detection.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma and Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Williams. It serves as a stark reminder of the relentless efforts of law enforcement to bring those who exploit vulnerable individuals to justice.
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