After nearly six years on the run, a former St. Louis County man implicated in a Jamaican lottery scam has been nabbed. U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus announced the arrest of Christopher Gibbon, 54, who was indicted back in December 2019 with a string of fraud charges. According to the indictment details, Gibbon conned victims into believing they had hit the jackpot and manipulated them into paying fake taxes on their "winnings." From December 1, 2016, to July 2018, Gibbon received money from hopeful individuals, which he then partly funneled to accomplices back in Jamaica, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri.
A particular case from the indictment revealed that a victim from North Carolina was swindled out of $50,000, money which went to Gibbon's address. The deception came to light after Gibbon vanished in 2018, just two days after U.S. Postal Inspectors interviewed him. A motion highlighted by authorities demanded Gibbon be detained until his trial, stressing that he posed a flight risk, especially after slipping away and assuming a new identity. According to official statements, Gibbon was found living with his girlfriend in Massachusetts under the alias Raseqhenre Heedram, though he was wearing a nametag marked Amos Johnson at the time of his arrest.
According to the the U.S. Attorney's Office, inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, praised the collaborative effort that led to Gibbon's arrest, stating, “This arrest proves the resolve and relentless pursuit Postal Inspectors have in bringing those who defraud victims to justice.” Mendonça heads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Marshals Service Jamaica Foreign Field Office, and the Connecticut Organized Financial Fraud Task Force all played a role in the investigation that culminated in Gibbon's arrest. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is on board to prosecute the case.
