Man Sentenced In Fraud Case That Cost Mystic Woman $1.2 Million

MYSTIC, CT — A man has been sentenced to 71 months in prison for a lottery scam that defrauded Connecticut victims of more than $1.8 million, including one elderly Mystic victim who lost nearly $1.2 million, according to a statement from federal prosecutors. Stieve Fernandez, 35, pleaded guilty in February to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

In a lottery scam, a con artist fraudulently convinces a victim that he or she has won a lottery or sweepstakes, and needs to make payments before collecting the winnings.

Fernandez and others defrauded an elderly Mystic resident and others in a lottery scam from 2015 to 2018, according to prosecutors. Fernandez would talk to the victim on the phone and used various pseudonyms, including “Damian Jackson,” “Jesse Jackson,” and “Huckleberry Finn.”

Fernandez falsely claimed that the victim had won a lottery or sweepstakes and was required to pay fees to cover taxes, insurance, handling, and other charges related to the winnings.

Fernandez directed the victim to pay fees in various ways, including by mailing checks and money orders, wiring funds to bank accounts, and purchasing and sending precious metals products, all of which went to his co-conspirators, according to the statement.

Fernandez then instructed his co-conspirators how to transfer or deliver the money to him in Argentina or Jamaica, where Fernandez lived.

The Mystic victim was defrauded of $1,196,207 through this scheme. A judge has ordered Fernandez to pay restitution in that amount.