Man Gets Eight Years for Fraud Targeting More Than 200 Older Victims

A Sweepstakes Scheme Ends With an Eight-Year Sentence

Jordan Trought was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for his role in an international sweepstakes fraud ring that stole more than $9 million from more than 200 elderly victims in the United States.

Trought was arrested in Jamaica in August 2025 and later extradited to the United States. In June 2026, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud and bank fraud.

The September sentence means his legal responsibility is no longer an allegation. He admitted his role, and a federal judge imposed the prison term.

The Fraud Began With a Prize That Did Not Exist

Victims were contacted and told they had won large sweepstakes prizes. The supposed winnings could not be released, they were told, until taxes, fees or other costs were paid first.

The request created a powerful contrast: a comparatively smaller payment appeared to unlock a much larger prize. But prosecutors said there was no real sweepstakes award waiting for the victims.

Instead, the money sent for fees became part of an international fraud operation. Some victims were contacted repeatedly and were drawn deeper into the scheme after the first payment.

The Network Targeted Older Americans Repeatedly

Federal prosecutors described Trought as a high-ranking member of the ring. The organization did not depend on a single caller or one successful pitch; it operated across borders and repeated the same basic deception against hundreds of older people.

That repetition explains how losses grew beyond $9 million. Each victim’s experience may have begun with one call or message, but the larger network was designed to keep producing new targets and move the money onward.

The case involved federal efforts to locate Trought abroad, secure his extradition and then prosecute him in New York.

A Simple Promise Produced Complex Harm

Sweepstakes scams can appear uncomplicated on the surface: someone claims a person has won, then demands payment before the prize can be released. The harm becomes more severe when the caller maintains contact and persuades a victim to keep sending money.

In this case, the government proved Trought’s participation through his guilty plea. The eight-year sentence reflects a scheme that affected more than 200 victims rather than one isolated financial transaction.

The promised prizes never existed. The victims’ losses did, and the criminal case now has a final prison sentence for one of the people prosecutors identified as a leader in the operation.

References: U.S. Department of Justice - Jamaican National Sentenced to Eight Years for Sweepstakes Fraud | IRS Criminal Investigation - Jamaican National Pleads Guilty in $9 Million Sweepstakes Scam

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