This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
A Jamaican citizen was found guilty of wire fraud in U.S. District Court in Tacoma for defrauding an elderly woman of more than $500,000 by telling her she had won the lottery and needed to pay taxes and fees before the winnings could be collected.
Roshard Carty, 34, contacted the 73-year-old victim, who lives in Vancouver, to tell her she won a $22 million lottery and a car while posing as an employee of Publisher’s Clearinghouse. He told her she needed to pay taxes and fees before she could access her winnings, even claiming the FBI was recording the call. Carty told her she was not to tell anyone about the big win.
In total, he stole more than $550,000 between August 2020 and February 2024. The victim sent the money to various couriers across the U.S., who then forwarded it to Carty in Jamaica.
“Carty’s requests for cash started small and grew over time. He had the victim remove small amounts of cash from her accounts and send them to a U.S. location via FedEx,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington, stated. “Carty told the victim the money was lost or stolen and demanded more. Carty told the victim to borrow against her home so she could send more money.
“Carty convinced the victim to sell her home to cover additional ‘costs and fees’ to claim her prize,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington, continued. “In all, Carty stole more than $550,000 from the victim by having her mail the money to various couriers in the U.S.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Carty was “relentless” in keeping contact with the victim. When she attempted to cut off contact with him, he tried to send tow trucks and pizza deliveries to her home, while also contacting her landlord to conduct a welfare check.
Carty’s contacted the victim thousands of times over the three and a half year period. He was indicted in November 2024 and arrested on August 21, 2025. He consented to extradition to the U.S. and was found guilty on Feb. 13.
His sentencing is scheduled for May 14. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
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