Pawtucket man charged in alleged international telemarketing scam

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Pawtucket man is among 250 people charged in an international telemarketing scam that authorities say targeted the elderly and other vulnerable people nationwide.

Shawn Whitfield, 47, is facing charges that include mail and wire fraud, international money laundering, and conspiracy, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Authorities say that from April 2015 through last month, Whitfield scammed an estimated $98,100 from 47 people in 23 states, at least 10 of whom were over age 55, as part of a lottery scheme that originated in Jamaica; the bulk of the money Whitfield then transferred electronically to Jamaica.

Under the scheme, those targeted would receive an unsolicited call from a person in Jamaica telling them that they'd won large cash prizes, vacation getaways, luxury cars or other prizes. The caller would inform the people that they needed to pay taxes or processing fees in order to collect their winnings, federal prosecutors said. Victims were directed to send the money to Whitfield's apartment in Pawtucket.

According to Whitfield's arrest warrant affidavit, calls were placed to individuals living in Pennsylvania, Texas, Michigan and other states.  Call recipients were told they had won millions. One man was informed by a "John Green" that he would receive $500 a week for the rest of his life and a new Mercedes-Benz. He transferred $8,000-plus to Whitfield's address.

Federal investigators say that 2,167 calls from multiple numbers in Jamaica were placed to Whitfield's cellphone from January 2016 through May 2017. Whitfield made 415 outgoing calls to Jamaica during the same time period, authorities said.

U.S. Postal Inspection Service agents, joined by U.S. Marshals and the Pawtucket and state police, executed a search warrant Tuesday at Whitfield's address, according to the news release. Authorities arrested Whitfield at the same time at his workplace in Norwood, Massachusetts. U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Sullivan released him on $10,000 unsecured bond and ordered that he be monitored by GPS.

More than 250 people were arrested worldwide in what U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said was the largest coordinated sweep of elder-fraud cases ever. The scheme victimized mostly elderly people, though the undereducated and those with disposable incomes are also often targeted, authorities said.

In March 2013, Whitfield was seriously injured after being stabbed by a Providence man during a fight.