PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Jamaica pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
Jason Plummer, 33, of Montego Bay pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Robert J. Colville.
In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that Plummer participated in a “lottery scam” in which elderly victims were contacted by telephone and falsely informed that they had won a sweepstakes, often totaling millions of dollars, and then were directed to send money in the form of checks, cash, money orders, and/or wires to pay purported taxes due on their winnings. Specifically, Plummer communicated directly with victims about their purported “winnings,” and with co-conspirators about the broader scam. He also maintained records containing personally identifiable information of various victims and received funds directly from other members of the lottery scam.
Judge Colville scheduled sentencing for October 13, 2026. At Count One (conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud), the law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of the greater of $250,000 or an alternative of twice the pecuniary gain or loss, or both. At Count Two (conspiracy to commit money laundering), the law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of the greater of $500,000 or an alternative of twice the amount of criminally derived property, or both. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Pending sentencing, the Court continued Plummer’s detention.
Assistant United States Attorney Kelly M. Locher is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Plummer, with assistance from Jamaican authorities and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs in the arrest and extradition of the defendant.