Jamaican man sentenced for role in defrauding Lenoir City woman out of nearly $700,000

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Jamaican man has been sentenced to serve more than five years in prison for his role in defrauding a 76-year-old woman from Lenoir City out of nearly $700,000, the Department of Justice shared.

Morice Armani Brown, 24, a Jamaican national who currently lies in Florida, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and was sentenced to serve 63 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release. Brown was also ordered to repay nearly $700,000 in restitution.

A Department of Justice release said that Brown and other co-conspirators convinced the victim to pay various fees and taxes to claim the winnings and travelled to Lenoir City to collect the money from the victims, the DOJ said. Then, they reportedly split the proceeds between themselves and others.

The charges were the result of an investigation by the Lenoir City Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

So far, Brown’s co-conspirators, Marklyn Antonio Forrester, Jamali Jermaine Ramsay, and Jahmarley Kiboki McFarlane were sentenced to 63 months, 36 months, and 57 months in prison, respectively. A fifth individual, Tessa Nicole Hines, is scheduled to be sentenced in October for her role in laundering money related to the scheme.

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9/9/24