ST. LOUIS (KMOX) -- A former Florissant man faces federal charges, accused of scamming seniors into thinking they won the Jamaican Lottery.The Department of Justice says Christopher Gibbon, 48, a Jamaican national, sent fake letters claiming to be from the FBI or IRS to victims, telling people to send some up front money to cover taxes and fees to get their jackpot.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry says Gibbon didn't act alone."He was working with other individuals who resided in Jamaica to perpetrate this scheme with unsuspecting individuals who received cold calls telling them that they'd won the Jamaican Lottery," Berry told KMOX. "And if they'd just send money to pay for taxes and fees, they'll release their winnings."The four victims named in the indictment were all seniors -- and all had been fooled in the manner Berry described.Gibbon is now charged with fraud, but not yet arrested. The DOJ says he's fled the area and they don't know where he might be. "People were definitely fooled," Berry said. "They thought they were dealing with a legitimate enterprise. For some of them, they did this because they wanted to leave a nest egg for their family members."Additional editing by Alex Degman© 2019 KMOX (Entercom). All rights reserved.





