Christopher Gibbon, 55, has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Gibbon admitted to participating in a Jamaican lottery scam that defrauded roughly $96,000 from victims. He received cash packages and wire transfers while mailing forged government documents to targets in the United States.
The scheme operated from December 2016 through July 2018 and involved eight victims. Co-conspirators in Jamaica falsely told victims they had won large prizes but required them to pay taxes and fees first. Gibbon kept 20 percent of the proceeds and forwarded the remainder to the Jamaica-based accomplices.
Gibbon mailed letters that co-conspirators sent to him via WhatsApp to make the operation appear legitimate to targets. An investigation began after a New Jersey resident sent multiple packages.
Gibbon disappeared after speaking with postal inspectors in 2018 and was later arrested in Connecticut. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and other agencies conducted the investigation.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 21. The charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
