Federal prosecutors say a 31-year-old Jamaican citizen is now facing serious charges in Connecticut over what they describe as a yearslong sweepstakes scam that drained millions of dollars from older Americans.
Court documents unsealed in New Haven lay out allegations that Richard Murray and several others operated the scheme beginning as early as 2018. Investigators say victims were contacted by phone and told they had won a Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes. However, authorities allege that before collecting any supposed prize money, the winners first had to send in fees and taxes.
According to prosecutors, those calls were only the beginning.
After the initial conversations, the group allegedly mailed forged documents to their targets. The papers were designed to look like official winning notifications from Publishers Clearing House, along with tax forms that appeared to come from the Internal Revenue Service. Investigators say the paperwork was meant to make the story believable and reassure victims that the payments were legitimate.
Many of the people targeted were elderly. Prosecutors say victims mailed cash, checks, or money orders to addresses in Connecticut and other states. In some cases, individuals sent multiple payments after being told additional fees were required.
The indictment describes what authorities call a network of “money mules.” These were people who received funds from victims and then transferred the money to Murray and others, according to prosecutors. Some of those individuals were allegedly misled themselves and believed they were taking part in lawful business transactions.
Federal officials also claim the group recruited others to open bank accounts under different names to move the money. Investigators say some of those accounts were tied to ATM cards used in Jamaica, where cash withdrawals were made from funds generated by the scheme.
A federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment on April 16, 2024. Murray is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each charge carries a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison.
Authorities arrested Murray in Hampton, Georgia, on January 22, 2026. He later appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector in New Haven on Wednesday (February 11), where he pleaded not guilty to all charges. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
Prosecutors stress that an indictment is only an allegation. Murray is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court.
Anyone who believes they may have been targeted is encouraged to report the incident to federal authorities.
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