AUSTIN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Dallas woman and a Nigerian man residing in Canada were sentenced Jan. 26 for a fraudulent “sweepstakes” scheme that targeted elderly citizens, federal authorities said.
Donna Lundy, 64, was sentenced two and half years in prison and ordered to pay $111,870.25 in restitution for wire fraud, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Western District of Texas.
Lundy was operating a marking leads business that sent more than $250 million in counterfeit checks along with counterfeit lottery awards to elderly U.S. citizens, the release states.
“Lundy owned and operated a lead broker business near Dallas, through which she purchased people’s names and contact information to sell to customers,” the federal prosecutors said.
Between 2007 and 2016, Lundy made more than $700,000 from selling and emailing several lists of elder’s Personal Identifiable Information to the scheming organization’s leader Harry Cole, the release states.
Lundy plead guilty in Jan. 2019, U.S. Attorney’s Office states.
Tony Akinbola was taken into custody in Canada on Jan. 20, 2022 and was later transferred to federal custody on Feb. 11, 2022, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Akinbola, 52, was sentenced six and a half years in federal prison as well as ordered to pay $111,870.25 in restitution, the release states.
“According to court documents, Akinbobola laundered money for the scheme beginning in 2015, receiving fraudulently obtained funds by way of wire transfers and money orders from the U.S.,” federal prosecutors said in the release. “He would deposit into a Canadian bank account in the name of his business.”
In February 2022, organization leader Cole was convicted over 14 years in prison, and in December 2022 codefendant Joel Calvin was convicted to three years, the release added.
