Man sentenced to 160 months for role in international lottery fraud scheme targeting elderly victims

 

Date: August 19, 2022

Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov

Tucson, AZ — On Tuesday, David Odean McIntosh, of Jamaica, was sentenced by United States District Judge Raner C. Collins to 160 months in prison. McIntosh was previously found guilty by a federal jury of Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud, Wire Fraud, Mail Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.

Between 2013 and 2018, McIntosh was one of the leaders of an international fraud ring that targeted thousands of elderly victims around the United States. Jamaican-based scammers and others called elderly victims in the United States, claiming the victims had won a lottery or other prize. To receive their winnings, the victims were told that they must first pay money for taxes and fees. The fraudsters provided some victims with phony letters claiming to be from the IRS that threatened to seize their assets if they failed to pay. McIntosh's role in this scheme was to distribute "lead lists," which contained the names and personal information of thousands of primarily elderly individuals for the scammers to contact and lure into the scheme. In addition, McIntosh also conspired to launder portions of the fraudulent proceeds. As part of his sentence, the court ordered McIntosh to pay approximately $1.8 million in restitution.

The Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and the Diplomatic Security Service conducted the investigation in this case. The Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Section of the United States Attorney's Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.