Lottery Calls and Letters: Two Jamaican Nationals Sentenced in a Maryland Scheme Tied to at Least $9.5 Million

The charges

On August 8, 2024, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland, part of the Department of Justice (DOJ), announced that Nickoy Campbell, then 29, of Jamaica, made an initial appearance on a second superseding indictment for conspiracy to commit mail fraud. As per the indictment, as described by DOJ:

• From October 2020 until February 2024, the defendants and co-conspirators contacted victims by mail or over the phone and convinced them they had won millions of dollars in a lottery or sweepstakes.
• Victims were told to pay taxes and other fees in advance.
• Payments went by wire transfer, gift card, cash and other methods.
• Victims sent at least $9.5 million to the defendants and other conspirators.

Brothers Wayne Henry and Dwayne Henry of Landover Hills, Maryland, had been charged previously in the same scheme. The case was a part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.

The sentences

Nickoy Campbell. On March 10, 2026, DOJ announced that U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson sentenced Campbell, 30, to 42 months in federal prison and ordered $3,074,765.28 in restitution. According to public filings, from September 2022 through February 2024 his conspiracy caused more than 10 victims to lose money. The court found victims lost more than $3 million, with Campbell receiving more than $500,000.

Tavoy Farquharson. On March 23, 2026, DOJ announced that Judge Hurson sentenced Farquharson, 34, also a Jamaican national, to 40 months and ordered $3,962,826 in restitution. According to public filings, his part of the conspiracy ran from October 2020 through at least January 2024. The court found victims lost more than $3.5 million, with Farquharson receiving more than $700,000. Some victims lost most of their life savings.

The March 23 release said Dwayne Henry had also been sentenced and that Wayne Henry, who faces an aggravated identity theft count with a mandatory consecutive two-year term, was set for sentencing on September 2.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Treasury Office of Inspector General (Treasury OIG) and the Prince George's County Police Department investigated the case. The 2026 releases described the case as a part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative.

The bottom line:

A Maryland-based lottery ring, which reached victims by mail and phone, led to sentences of 42 and 40 months for two Jamaican nationals, with combined restitution orders of about $7 million.

Key takeaways

1. Mail and phone contact both appear in the charging allegations.
2. Gift cards were a payment channel alongside wires and cash.
3. Restitution ran into the millions for each sentenced defendant.
4. U.S.-based co-defendants pleaded guilty in the same scheme.
5. The case was part of an OCDETF investigation, per the 2024 release.