TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – A Jamaican man, known as “The Ice Man,” has been extradited to Tucson to face charges related to an alleged romance scam that defrauded an elderly woman from Vail. Sherwayne Benjamin Bellinfantie will be prosecuted in federal court, marking a significant development in a case that dates back to 2022.
The FBI has been increasingly concerned about scams targeting Arizona’s elderly, and this case is no exception. The indictment against Bellinfantie, initially sealed, is now public. It alleges that from December 2015 to January 2019, Bellinfantie and his co-conspirators orchestrated a romance and sweepstakes scheme aimed at an 85-year-old Vail resident, who has since passed away.
The FBI claims Bellinfantie’s group deceived the woman into believing she was in a romantic relationship. A co-conspirator reportedly sent flowers with love messages to her home. They also convinced her she had won a lottery, a common scam tactic.
“People are induced to pre-pay their taxes after winning a lottery. A lottery can be for cars, for money, jewelry it can be for anything someone might want to have,” said Paul Sparky of the FBI Tucson office.
Sparky noted the rise of such scams in Arizona, highlighting a significant increase in lottery scams. “Specifically lottery scams here in Arizona we saw a 400 percent increase from 2023 to 2024,” Sparky said.
The victim reportedly lost $400,000, but the FBI remains determined to seek justice despite her passing. Sparky mentioned the FBI’s recent success in extraditing suspects from Jamaica and other countries. “Here in Arizona we’ve seen recent success in being able to extradite people from not only Jamaica but other counties as well,” Sparky said.
In a related development, Rushane Lawrence, one of Bellinfantie’s alleged co-conspirators, pleaded guilty in federal court in 2021 on similar charges. He is scheduled for sentencing in January.
Bellinfantie’s lawyer stated that his client pleads not guilty.
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