Florida Man Charged In Jamaica-Based Lottery Scheme

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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) —  A Florida man is under arrest, accused of participating in a lottery scam based in Jamaica.

Court documents said authorities confronted Rowan George Hemmings in 2013 about a package addressed to him by a victim of the scheme.

Victims in the U.S. were told they won a lottery, but they needed to mail several thousand dollars to collect their winnings. According to court documents, middlemen wired the money to Jamaica. The Federal Trade Commission reports $39 million dollars lost to such scams in 2013.

Authorities say Hemmings agreed to stop receiving the victims' money. But last month, authorities said they identified a package addressed to Hemmings from another victim.

Hemmings, of Homestead, was arrested this week on mail fraud charges. A man answering Hemmings' phone Friday said Hemmings was in custody. His arraignment is Feb. 18th.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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