Citizen Staff Writer
SHERYL KORNMAN
skornman@tucsoncitizen.com
A Tucson man found guilty of wire fraud in a fake lottery scheme was sentenced here Monday to more than eight years in prison, said Sandy Raynor, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Jemara Akil Butler, 29, was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison on multiple counts of conspiracy, producing fake IDs and wire fraud, she said.
Raynor said he targeted “approximately 27 purported lottery winners” who were mailed a check and asked to wire “a portion of the funds” to Butler in exchange for “lottery winnings.” Some victims sent money from their accounts, then discovered the checks were fraudulent.
Butler was ordered to pay restitution of $72,800 to the victims following his prison term, during five years of supervised release.
Fake lottery scheme brings 8-year sentence