BRIDGEPORT — A New Haven man was sentenced to three years in prison for laundering money for lottery and romance scams that defrauded 200 victims of more than $5 million, according to federal prosecutors.
The victims were primarily elderly, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery said in a statement Tuesday.
A grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment in March 2020 charging Ralph Pierre, 32, of New Haven, and four others with conspiracy to commit money laundering. Pierre was also accused of money laundering, according to court documents.
On Feb. 15, after a week of trial, Pierre was found guilty of conspiracy to commit laundering and money laundering. U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport sentenced Pierre on Tuesday to three years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Pierre is released on $100,000 bond and must to report to prison on Aug. 31.
The scheme dates to August 2015. From then until March 2020, Farouq Fasasi, Rodney Thomas Jr. and others used lottery, romance and other scams to induce elderly victims to provide money, gifts and personal details. The victims sent cash, money orders or checks through the mail to various addresses statewide and also wired or deposited money directly into the bank accounts of the conspiracy members, Avery’s office said.
For the lottery scam, scammers would contact victims either on the phone, online or by mail and tell them they won the lottery. The scammers then said that, for the victim to collect the prize, they must pay fees for taxes, shipping and processing, according to Avery’s office.
“Often, once a victim sends a small amount of money, a scammer will ask for larger sums of money with a promise of more winnings,” Avery’s office said. “The victims never receive winnings.”
In the romance scam, scammers take advantage of people looking for love and pretend to be prospective companions. They typically create fake online profiles on dating websites with false details, like the death of a spouse or being in the military, to lure victims in to trust them.
Once the victims trusted them, the scammer asks the victim for money, falsely claiming to need it for medical or business emergencies, to travel to see the victim or other purposes, Avery’s office said.
Investigators started looking into the group when they noticed a significant number of packages being sent to addresses in New Haven and Hamden, according to court documents.
Fasasi, Thomas, Pierre and others lived together at a home on Sherman Avenue in New Haven where many of the victims’ packages were delivered.
Pierre joined the conspiracy in July 2018 when he registered a fake charity called “Global Protection Foundation.” He opened at least four business bank accounts to launder funds from the scheme. Investigators said the bank accounts showed the nonprofit used “little to no money” for philanthropic purposes, according to court documents.
From July 2018 to November 2018, more than $200,000 was deposited and withdrawn across all of Pierre’s personal and business accounts, court documents state.
Pierre also endorsed checks and collected packages for the scheme, according to court documents.
Fasasi and Thomas were also found guilty in February of multiple charges stemming from the scheme. Avery’s office said that three others have been charged and convicted of offenses stemming from their participation in the scams.
For seniors who may be victims of financial fraud, please call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311).
