St. James man to be extradited to US for trial on lottery scamming charges

By Clinton McGregor:

A St James man is the first Jamaican facing extradition to stand trial in the United States for lottery scamming activities.
28 year old Damion Bryan Barrett was arrested Thursday afternoon on an extradition warrant by the Fugitive Apprehension Team, FAT.
For the past several years, the US government has been urging the Jamaican authorities to extradite the ringleaders involved in the lottery scam. 
This after thousands of US citizens, most of them elderly, have been swindled out of millions of dollars by persons who told them they had won sweepstakes and that they should send processing fees to collect their winnings.
On Thursday, the local authorities acted and Mr Barrett, a resident of Hendon, Norwood, St James was issued with the warrant following an extradition request by the United States government.
The US government says the Jamaican will be tried for wire fraud.
Head of the Organised Crime and Investigation Division, OCID, Senior Superintendent Clifford Chambers told RJR News that Mr Barrett is the first Jamaican to face extradition for lottery scamming activities.
US prosecutors alleged that the Jamaican is part of a criminal network that has fleeced millions of dollars from US citizens in the lottery scam.

SSP Chambers disclosed that another member of Mr Barrett's network is now serving time in a US prison following his conviction for lottery scamming. 

Over the last few months hundreds of persons, most of them repeat offenders, have been charged by the local police for breaches of the Law Reform Fraudulent Transactions Special Provisions Act,  popularly known as the anti-lottery scam act.