HARRISBURG—Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced that a Jamaician national named Kristoff Cain, also known as Patrick Williams, who scammed elderly Pennsylvanians out of millions of dollars has been sentenced to 70 months in prison. Attorney General Shapiro first announced Cain’s charges at a press conference in Pittsburgh in 2018.
“This sentence is justice for the victims of Kristoff Cain scams targeting elderly Pennsylvanians,” said Attorney General Shapiro. “Deceiving and straight out lying to consumers by telling them they have won the lottery or are being investigated by the FBI to force cash out of their wallets is not only a disgusting practice, it’s illegal. My Office is committed to protecting the interests of Pennsylvanians and holding anyone who tricks, scams or defrauds them accountable.”
Cain was scamming elderly citizens from across the country, including Pennsylvania, out of millions of dollars. Cain was operating a scam referred to as the Jamacain lottery scam. The Jamaican Lottery Scam can take different forms. In one version, victims are told they’ve won the lottery and must send “taxes” to collect their winnings. In another version, scam artists are known to impersonate FBI agents to deceive victims into sending money. In another scam, criminals claim they’re IRS agents and the victims owe back taxes to the IRS.
Cain’s operations affected victims in Pennsylvania, but also had co-conspirators based out of Allegheny County including Audrey Huff and Donovan Wallace, who had named Cain as the ringleader of the scams during their arrests. Victims who were scammed by Cain’s Pennsylvania-based co-conspirators include:
- Brighton, Mass: In February 2017, this woman sent $4,000 to Huff. This was a “tax payment on a $3.5 million lottery prize” which other suspects advised her that she had won. This package was intercepted by the U.S. Postal Service, which spoke to her daughter — who told them her mother lost over $250,000 over 10 years to this scam.
- Mount Pleasant, S.C.: In December 2015, he was called by an alleged “FBI agent,” who told him there were discrepancies in his bank account and he had to mail $25,000 to Audrey Huff in Pittsburgh. This package was never recovered. His funds were lost.
- Prescott, Ariz.: In August 2015, he was told by a perpetrator to send $25,000 in cash to Audrey Huff in Pittsburgh. This package was intercepted by Prescott AZ police; the funds were returned to the victim.
- Saint Paul, Minn.: In September 2016, she was called by an alleged “FBI agent” who said her bank was being investigated and she needed to mail him all her money. She withdrew $32,874 and sent the money to Jennifer Lennox (an alias used by Huff) in Pittsburgh.
- San Jose, Cal.: In January 2017, he sent $8,364 to Armie Corps (an alias used by Audrey Huff) at a Pittsburgh address. This package was intercepted by an OAG agent.
Cain was sentenced in federal court on August 24, 2020 before United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon. Cain pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on December 16, 2019. Cain’s conviction will likely result in his deportation at the end of his incarceration.
The case was co-prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Katie Wymard and U.S. Attorney Christopher Cook, with special assistance from Special Agent Tim Nutter during the investigation and arrest.
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