A federal grand jury in New Haven has indicted Jimmy Smith, a 30-year-old resident of Hinesville, Georgia, on charges related to a sweepstakes scam. Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's Boston Division, announced the developments. Smith was apprehended in Florida on March 17, 2025, and is currently under home detention with electronic monitoring. His arraignment in New Haven federal court is scheduled for April 4.
According to the indictment, the scam involved contacting victims by phone and falsely informing them that they had won large sums of money, which they could claim only by paying certain fees or taxes. The indictment accuses Smith and his associates of defrauding victims in Connecticut, New York, Texas, and California by claiming they had won a Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. The participants instructed victims to send money through the mail or wire transfers. Smith allegedly recruited individuals to deposit money received from victims into their bank accounts, who then withdrew the cash to return to Smith or transferred it to his accounts.
In one instance from July 2022, a Connecticut victim was told she had won a $2.5 million prize but needed to pay taxes. She subsequently mailed a $75,000 check to an address in Brooklyn, New York. The funds were deposited into an account controlled by Keshelski Bates, a co-conspirator.
Smith is also charged with involvement in a separate scheme defrauding an Arkansas resident who believed the payment was for farm equipment. Smith faces charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each charge carries a potential 20-year prison sentence.
Silverman stated, "an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."
Keshelski Bates, also 30 and from Hinesville, Georgia, previously waived his right to indictment and pled guilty to conspiracy charges. Bates is currently released on a $100,000 bond pending sentencing.
The case, under the investigation of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, also involves cooperation from the Army CID, Hinesville Police Department, and the Orlando Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather M. Cherry. Silverman expressed gratitude to the State’s Attorney’s Office for the Judicial District of Litchfield for their collaboration.