A Miami resident has been sentenced to 44 months in federal prison for his role in a nationwide lottery fraud scheme that targeted senior citizens. The court also ordered him to pay $234,995 in restitution to the victims. This sentence follows Akiel Doman's guilty plea in October 2024 to charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as criminal contempt for violating a court order.
Between May 2020 and July 2022, Doman, aged 34 from North Miami Beach, Florida, and his accomplices called victims across the United States with false claims that they had won millions of dollars and sometimes a car in a lottery. The perpetrators posed as representatives of a lottery company and instructed victims to pay fees or taxes upfront to claim their supposed winnings. They provided specific instructions on how to send these payments, which were then deposited into Doman’s bank accounts.
Doman's actions also violated a consent decree issued by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in 2019, which barred him from engaging in lottery frauds. This case was titled United States v. Doman, No. 18-cv-24731.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Inspector in Charge Steven L. Hodges of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division.
The investigation was conducted by USPIS Miami, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Bertha R. Mitrani prosecuted the case.
Further details can be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida or through their PACER system under case number 24-cr-60133.