A yearslong fake lottery scheme that drained a Vancouver senior’s life savings has ended in a federal courtroom. This week, Jamaican citizen Roshard Andrew Carty, 34, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to wire fraud after a sweepstakes scam that took more than $550,000 from a 73-year-old Vancouver woman. Prosecutors say Carty posed as a Publisher’s Clearing House employee and hounded the victim for years, eventually convincing her to borrow against and sell her home. He is scheduled for sentencing on May 14, 2026.
According to a Feb. 13 press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, Carty admitted to a single count of wire fraud. Prosecutors say that between August 2020 and February 2024 he directed the victim to send more than $550,000 in cash to U.S.-based couriers, who then forwarded the money to Jamaica. The release also notes that Carty was arrested in Jamaica on Aug. 21, 2025 and later consented to extradition to the United States.
FOX 13 Seattle reports that prosecutors will recommend a sentence of no more than 41 months in prison, even though the wire fraud charge carries a statutory maximum of up to 20 years. The station also notes that the federal case is being handled in Tacoma federal court and summarizes the lengthy paper trail laid out in courtroom filings.
How prosecutors say the scheme worked
Court filings described by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington say Carty told the woman she had won $22 million and a car, then claimed she had to pay taxes and fees up front to collect her supposed prize. As the years went by, prosecutors say he kept ratcheting up the demands.
According to the filings, Carty instructed the victim to withdraw large amounts of cash and send it through couriers, a common tactic in cross-border fraud that makes the money harder to trace. Investigators say he contacted her thousands of times, and when she tried to cut off communication he did not just fade away. Instead, prosecutors say he had tow trucks and pizza deliveries sent to her home and even asked the victim’s landlord to conduct a welfare check, all to keep her on the hook.
Previous indictment and the numbers
An earlier snapshot of the case suggested an even bigger alleged loss. A November 2025 federal indictment, covered by Hoodline under the headline about Carty defrauding Vancouver senior of $800,000, said the scheme cost the victim more than $800,000.
The numbers in that indictment do not match the total referenced in the guilty plea, which pegs the loss at more than $550,000. That kind of discrepancy is not unusual. Indictments often outline what prosecutors initially believe they can prove, while plea agreements typically reflect the amounts the defendant admits or what the government is confident it can establish in court.
Legal next steps
Under the plea agreement, Carty will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright on May 14, 2026. As FOX 13 Seattle notes, prosecutors say they will ask for a term of no more than 41 months. Judge Cartwright is not required to follow that recommendation and can impose a different sentence within federal guidelines.
How to protect seniors from sweepstakes fraud
Cases like this are exactly why law enforcement and consumer watchdogs keep repeating the same warning: legitimate sweepstakes do not make winners pay up front. The Federal Trade Commission bluntly advises, “Don’t pay to collect sweepstakes winnings,” and outlines how to spot and report scams.
The FBI lists sweepstakes and lottery scams among the most common forms of elder fraud and encourages victims, or their families, to report incidents to authorities.
This case is a reminder that cross-border sweepstakes cons and imposter scams can be persistent and highly targeted, especially toward older adults. Anyone who suspects a similar scheme is urged to report it to local law enforcement, the FBI, or federal complaint portals. Prosecutors and federal investigators say they are continuing to go after networks that rely on couriers and overseas partners to move stolen money out of communities like Vancouver.
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