HOUSTON — A Houston woman has been arrested for her role in a lottery fraud scheme targeting mostly elderly individuals, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Gloria Kirk Edmonson, 75, is charged with one count of conspiracy, two counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The alleged scheme went on from January 2019 to December 2020, officials said.
Edmondson is accused of tricking the victims— often vulnerable elderly individuals— into sending her money or other valuables through the mail after telling them they had won the lottery. She convinced them the payment was needed for taxes or other fees in order to receive their winning, the FBI said.
Investigators said she deposited the money into bank accounts that she controlled. The funds were then transferred to other accounts that her co-conspirators had access to via a debit card, which they used to withdraw cash from financial institutions in Jamaica, according to officials.
Federal agents arrested Edmondson on Jan. 6, the department said.
The maximum penalty for conspiracy is five years in prison. The maximum penalty for wire fraud, mail fraud, and the money laundering conspiracy is 20 years in prison.
