PHOENIX – A Jamaican man was recently extradited to the United States to face charges related to a romance scam that targeted an elderly Arizona woman, authorities announced Wednesday.
Sherwayne Benjamin Bellinfantie, aka “Ice Man,” and others allegedly scammed an 85-year-old resident of Vail out of $400,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
Vail is a Pima County community southeast of Tucson.
According to prosecutors, Bellinfantie and his co-conspirators targeted the victim in a romance and sweepstakes scheme from December 2015 to January 2019.
What led up to extradition of Jamaican romance scam suspect?
In March 2022, a federal grand jury in Tucson indicted Bellinfantie for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
He faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each offense if convicted.
Bellinfantie was arrested in Jamaica in July 2023 and extradited last week. His arraignment and detention hearing are scheduled for Monday morning.
Arizona has one of the nation’s highest rates for online romance scam losses, with residents reportedly losing $47 million in 2022 and 2023.
“Unfortunately, they prey on folks who might be lonely,” Kevin Smith of the FBI Phoenix office told KTAR News 92.3 FM last year. “They tend to develop a online relationship whereby the victim feels they’re in a relationship with this person.”
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