A 34-year-old man has been sentenced to three years in prison after defrauding a 73-year-old woman out of over £600,000, all while perpetuating an elaborate scam that falsely claimed she had won a £22 million lottery prize. Roshard Andrew Carty, a Jamaican national, was found guilty of wire fraud following a scheme that spanned several years and devastated the retirement savings of his vulnerable victim.
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Carty was sentenced on Thursday in a Seattle court by U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright, who highlighted the persistence with which Carty targeted the woman. According to federal prosecutors, he began his deception in 2020, introducing himself as an employee of Publishers Clearing House and informing the woman that she had won a substantial cash prize along with a luxury vehicle. However, he claimed that she needed to pay various taxes and fees before she could claim her winnings.
Details released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington indicate that Carty employed a systematic approach in extracting money from the woman. Over a period stretching from August 2020 to February 2024, he manipulated her into sending cash through couriers across the United States to ultimately reach him in Jamaica. The initial requests for money were modest, but they quickly escalated, culminating in demands that led her to borrow against and ultimately sell her home to fund his insatiable financial requests.
Carty’s relentless pursuit of the victim did not cease even when she expressed hesitation or sought to disengage from the conversations. Prosecutors noted that he went to extreme lengths to maintain contact, employing multiple phone numbers and various messaging platforms. When the woman attempted to sever ties, Carty used intimidation tactics, including sending tow trucks and pizza deliveries to her home and reaching out to her landlord to request welfare checks.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd commented on the scathing impact of Carty’s actions, stating that he had “stolen the money she was counting on to survive in retirement.” In a sobering reflection of the situation, he added that Carty’s fraudulent activities were not only relentless but also cruel, targeting a further vulnerable demographic. The FBI confirmed the woman lost her home due to her involvement in the scam, having received none of the promised lottery winnings.
Carty, who fled to Jamaica during the judicial process, was indicted in November 2024 and arrested in August 2025. He was subsequently extradited to the United States, where he pleaded guilty in February 2026. The case has raised alarms among campaigners regarding the exploitation of elderly individuals by scam artists, a demographic frequently targeted due to presumed vulnerabilities.
Officials remain concerned about the potential for Carty to engage in further fraudulent activities following his prison sentence. Prosecutors revealed they had identified at least one additional victim connected to his schemes, raising the possibility that he may attempt to resume his deceptive practices upon release.
The sentencing serves as a somber reminder of the significant toll that such scams can take on individuals, particularly the elderly, who are often left unprotected and susceptible to manipulation. W. Mike Herrington, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Seattle office, voiced similar worries regarding the broader implications of Carty’s actions and their impact on retirees who may find themselves in similar situations.
The case highlights the urgent need for improved measures to protect vulnerable individuals from financial exploitation and underscores the devastating consequences of fraud on the lives of those who become victims. As the legal proceedings continue, advocacy for safeguarding elderly people against such crimes remains paramount, aiming to bring attention and awareness to a growing concern in society.