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U.S. NEWS Monday 11 noveMber 2019

$15

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Jamaican lottery scam victim

hoping to get back her $400K

HARVEY, N.D. (AP) — A ment Accountability Office money from her sister and
90-year-old North Dakota studied Justice Department cashed out life insurance
woman who was robbed data and found that at the policies after she was told
of her life savings by a Ja- end of fiscal 2016, $110 bil- by a scammer that she
maican lottery scam says lion in previously ordered had won $19 million in a
she has been paid back restitution was outstanding, lottery."I think about it every
only $287 of the $400,000 and federal prosecutors day; I always keep beating
she's owed. had identified $100 billion myself up," said Schmeets,
Edna Schmeets of Harvey, of that — or 91% — as being who said she has no sav-
a small central North Da- uncollectable due to the ings left. "How could you In this undated photo, Edna Schmeets, 90, poses for a picture
with her children, from left, Lisa Appelt, and Ron, Tim and Jeff
kota town about 77 miles offenders' inability to pay. be so dang stupid?" Schmeets, at her home in Harvey, N.D.
(124 kilometers) northeast "Sadly, what you're seeing With the help of a bank Associated Press
of Bismarck, was the vic- here (in the scam case) is worker, Schmeets' children
tim whose case launched all too typical, where vic- eventually learned what an investigation in 2012. seven years.
what became the first tims are promised substan- was happening and alert- Suspects were caught and Most of the defendants ac-
large-scale Jamaican lot- tial restitution but the real- ed authorities, who started prosecuted over the next cepted plea deals.q
tery scam case prosecuted ity is much less," said Paul
in the U.S. All 31 defendants Cassell, a University of Utah
have been prosecuted, law professor and special
including 14 Jamaican na- counsel with the National
tionals who were extradit- Crime Victim Law Institute.
ed from that country. Au- Drew Wrigley, the U.S. attor-
thorities identified victims ney for North Dakota, said
of the scam in 31 states, he empathizes with Sch-
with more than 100 mostly meets.
elderly American bilked out "If we could monetize our
of more than $6 million. gratitude, she'd be paid
"I'm so disappointed," Sc- back in full immediately,"
meets told the Bismarck Tri- said Wrigley, whose office
bune of the small amount recently was awarded a
she's gotten back. She said U.S. Department of Justice
she was told another check award for cracking the
for $138 is pending. case.
Federal prosecutors Scammers would call vic-
pledged to get at least tims and tell them they had
some of the victims' money won money in a lottery but
back. But offenders' inabil- that they needed to pay
ity to pay often limits the advance fees to collect it.
collection of restitution. The scammers would then
According to the National keep the victims' money
Center for Victims of Crime, without paying out any-
many victims wait years be- thing. The case was pros-
fore receiving any money, ecuted in North Dakota
and many never received because that is where the
the full amount they were investigation began into
owed. Schmeets being scammed.
Most restitution ordered in In 2011, shortly after her
federal court cases is never husband died, Schmeets
collected, according to a began sending large
federal government report checks, provided her cred-
last year. The U.S. Govern- it card number, borrowed