NEW HAVEN, CT — The leader of a “lottery and romance fraud scheme,” that operated for a time out of a Sherman Avenue residence, has been sentenced to 14 years in a federal prison, according to the Justice Department.
The scam defrauded hundreds of mostly elderly people across the country out of millions, federal prosecutors said.
Farouq Fasasi, 28, formerly of New Haven, now of Manchester, was sentenced in federal court Monday, according to Vanessa Roberts Avery, the U.S. Attorney for Connecticut.
Also convicted, as part of the fraud scheme, are Rodney Thomas Jr., 31, and Ralph Pierre, 32. The three men were found guilty in February. All three were New Haven residents at the time.
Avery said the evidence presented at trial showed that “in a lottery scam, scammers notify victims by telephone, through online communications, or by mail, that they have won the lottery.”
In the scam, after being told they won, the victims are then told that in order to collect the prize they must pay fees for things like taxes, shipping and processing, per prosecutors. “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, but the victims never receive winnings,” it’s explained in a Justice Department news release.
Federal prosecutors explained who a “romance scam” works: “Scammers take advantage of people looking for companionship by pretending to be prospective companions,” the feds explained. “Scammers typically create fake online profiles on dating websites that include false personal details such as the death of a spouse, or military service, to lure victims to trust them. Once they have gained the trust of victims, scammers will ask victims for money, falsely claiming to need money for medical or business emergencies, for travel to see the victim, or other purposes.”
According to the US Attorney, between around August 2015 and March 2020, Fasasi, Thomas and others used lottery scams, romance scams and other fraudulent means to induce elderly victims to provide them with money, gifts and personal details. Victims sent cash, money orders or checks through the mail to various addresses in Connecticut, and also wired or deposited money into bank accounts in Connecticut controlled by conspiracy members and their associates, federal prosecutors said.
Fasasi, Thomas, Pierre, and other co-conspirators lived together for a time at a residence on Sherman Avenue in New Haven, where many packages containing cash, checks and money orders from victims were delivered, per the Justice Department.
“To help launder the money obtained from fraud victims, Pierre formed a fake charity, called Global Protection Foundation,” and opened four bank accounts in the fake charity’s name, the news release from Avery read. Between July and November 2018, more than $200,000 was deposited into and withdrawn from these bank accounts and Pierre’s personal bank accounts, federal prosecutors said.
The investigation revealed that these scams defrauded more than 200 victims across the U.S. of more than $5 million, federal prosecutors said. “Many of the victims were elderly and vulnerable, and some victims lost their lives savings,” the US Attorney said, adding that one Connecticut victim lost more than $1 million.
The Justice Department has established a National Elder Fraud Hotline —833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311) —to provide services to seniors who may be victims of financial fraud.
