Jamaican woman extradited from Panama to US over alleged lottery scamming

A Jamaican woman living in Panama has been extradited to the United States, where she is facing charges in connection with an alleged lottery scam that targeted victims, including an elderly Pennsylvania resident.

Ashanie M. Campbell, 29, was extradited from Panama last week, according to a statement by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Campbell and 38-year-old Jeremie L. Cotton, of Las Vegas, Nevada, have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.

Campbell is also facing additional charges of mail fraud, wire fraud and interstate transportation of property taken by fraud.

According to a 29-count indictment, the accused participated in a lottery scam in which fraudsters allegedly contacted people in the United States while pretending to represent Publishers Clearing House.

The indictment alleges that Campbell, who resided in Jamaica in 2020 before travelling to Panama around May 2021, had access to and used a Google account with the email address PCH8501@gmail.com in connection with the scheme.

Five victims were allegedly contacted by phone and email and told that they had won substantial cash prizes from Publishers Clearing House.

According to the indictment, one of the victims, identified in the indictment as Victim 1, was approximately 75 years old in 2020 and lived in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

He was also allegedly told that he had won a Land Rover.

However, the victims were reportedly told that they had to make advance payments to cover expenses, including taxes and administrative fees, before collecting their prizes, according to the indictment.

It is being further alleged that after making the payments, they were allegedly informed that additional fees were due and were solicited for increasingly larger sums.

The indictment alleges that Cotton acted as a US-based intermediary through whom Campbell received money transfers obtained from the victims.

It further alleges that funds were transferred from an account belonging to Cotton to other associates of Campbell, including an individual in Panama who had a bank account and was a contact of Campbell.

The indictment also outlines how the Land Rover allegedly came into Campbell's possession.

It alleges that co-conspirators in the United States purchased a salvage Land Rover and used parts shipped to them by Victim 1 to repair the vehicle.

According to the indictment, around October 2020, the vehicle was allegedly shipped from an auto body shop in Queens, New York, to a car dealership in Kingston, Jamaica, where it subsequently came into Campbell's possession.

Cotton had previously appeared in court to face the charges following his arrest in December 2025.

Christopher Nielsen, inspector in charge of the Philadelphia Division of the US Postal Inspection Service, said lottery scams exploited people's hopes of winning life-changing prizes and could result in devastating financial losses.

He said Campbell's extradition demonstrated the authorities' commitment to pursuing people accused of defrauding Americans, regardless of where they were located, while underscoring the importance of international law enforcement cooperation.

The case was investigated by the US Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the US Marshals Service's Harrisburg Resident Agency.

The US Justice Department's Office of International Affairs secured Campbell's arrest and extradition from Panama.

Assistant US Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Campbell and Cotton face up to 20 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, mail fraud and wire fraud.

An additional prison term of up to 10 years may be imposed for certain fraud convictions if prosecutors prove that the offences victimised 10 or more people over the age of 55 or specifically targeted people in that age group.

The charge of interstate transportation of property taken by fraud carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

The judge may also impose fines and supervised release following imprisonment.

The US Attorney's Office stressed that the indictment contains allegations and that both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

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