A man who the Feds say wired about $100,000 of ill-gotten money to Jamaica from a Horry County-based lottery sweepstakes scam was found guilty after a 2-day trial in Florence.
United States Attorney Bill Nettles said Wednesday that a federal jury sitting in Florence found Woody Graham, 36, of Longs, guilty of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
“Graham was wiring fraud proceeds to Jamaica on behalf of a group running a bogus lottery scam that targeted elderly victims around the country, notifying them that they had won a lottery or sweepstakes, but that they needed to pay fees or taxes in advance in order to receive their winnings,” Nettles said.
When a federal complaint was unsealed a year ago in the case, it alleged that more than 200 people were victimized and paid more than $1 million to receive their non-existent lottery prizes.
The scam group was based in Conway and Little River, with the Little River post office as the primary location used by the group, US Attorney Eric Klumb, told News13.
During Graham’s trial, an 84-year-old woman victim testified that she sent $200,000 to 4 different scam groups, including the one Graham belonged to, Klumb said.
A total of 18 people — including 9 from Conway, Little River and North Myrtle Beach — have been indicted in the case.
Of those 15 have entered guilty pleas; three have been sentenced to prison terms. Graham’s sentencing will likely be in the next 90 days, Klumb said.
United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell, of Florence, presided over the trial.
The case was investigated by Special Agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Inspectors with the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
Assistant United States Attorneys A. Bradley Parham and Eric Klumb are prosecuting the case.
