PROVIDENCE, RI — A Georgia man was sentenced in Rhode Island federal court to two years in prison for conspiring to scam Rhode Island seniors, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Patrick Dallas, 38, and "two co‑conspirators defrauded senior citizens (in Rhode Island and other states) through a bogus 'Publishers Clearing House' (PCH) or similar sweepstakes scam and laundered the proceeds through entities and bank accounts they controlled," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a media release.
"Victims were told they had won large sums of money, often millions of dollars, in a PCH lottery or sweepstakes," the release said. "To collect their purported winnings, victims were instructed to provide personal identifying information for 'verification' and to pay upfront fees and taxes. Some victims were directed to send money, gift cards, and high‑value items such as Rolex watches and iPhones to addresses controlled by the defendants."
Dallas was sentenced after co‑defendant Owen Demoy Byfield, 33, according to the release, who also got two years.
Byfield was ordered to pay $1.7 million in restitution, the release said, and Dallas also was ordered to pay restitution.
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