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A single $34,000 transfer into a bank account belonging to a Coral Springs man is among the transactions federal prosecutors have tied to an alleged sweepstakes fraud operation that reached more than 100 victims across the United States.
Evans Class Brown is accused of participating in a multi-state scheme that persuaded victims, many of them elderly, to pay fees and taxes for supposed multimillion-dollar sweepstakes winnings. The prize money was fictitious, prosecutors allege. The payments were not.
Brown faces multiple fraud and money-laundering charges alongside seven co-defendants with ties to New York, South Carolina and northern Florida.
A Sweepstakes Prize That Never Arrived
The case describes an operation built around repeatedly extracting money from people who had been led to believe a large payout was waiting for them.
When promised winnings failed to arrive, the alleged conspirators did not necessarily end contact. Prosecutors say victims were instead given explanations involving administrative problems and other purported delays. Those explanations could keep the process going, with additional payments sought for as long as a victim remained willing to send money.
The indictment, portions of which have been unsealed, places Brown within the network that received those payments.
In one transaction singled out by prosecutors, a victim identified in court records only by the initials R.S. allegedly transferred $34,000 in January 2023 to a Truist bank account held in Brown’s name.
Money Allegedly Moved to Jamaica
Other victims sent or delivered money to Brown and additional participants in the operation, according to an affidavit filed in the case. Prosecutors allege some of those funds were subsequently moved to unidentified co-conspirators in Jamaica.
The people receiving victims’ money in the United States were not simply conduits, according to the government’s allegations. Prosecutors contend that intermediaries retained a portion of the proceeds before other funds were passed along.
That financial chain is central to a case that extends well beyond South Florida. Authorities have connected more than 100 victims to the alleged operation, which crossed state and international boundaries and generated tens of thousands of dollars in payments.
Brown Arrested Months After Co-Defendants
Brown’s arrest came later than those of the other defendants. His seven co-defendants were taken into custody in March, court records show, while Brown remained out of custody until last week.
After his arrest, Brown was extradited. On Monday, his case was formally transferred to South Carolina, where the prosecution involving the broader alleged conspiracy is proceeding.
The charges remain allegations, and Brown and the other defendants have not been convicted of the offenses described in the indictment.
Source: coralspringsflnews.com
