(CMR) A Jamaican policewoman was arrested and charged in the United States on Friday on accusations of being the mastermind behind a lottery scamming operation which fleeced millions from elderly US citizens.
Shelian Cherine Allen (42), who, according to the Jamaica Gleaner, has been employed to the Jamaica Constabulary Force for 18 years, has been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud by wire and conspiracy to commit fraud by mail.
Allen is accused of running a lottery scamming organization that is responsible for fleecing US$1.69 million from mainly elderly victims based in the United States. Her 20-year-old son, who was also under investigation for lottery scamming, was also arrested.
Allen is believed to have earned US$128,000 from scamming between 2019 and 2021, under what law enforcement officers in an affidavit have referred to as the ‘Allen Lottery Scheme Organisation.’
The affidavit was filed against her in Milwaukee on Wednesday, 2 February , after months of investigations and admission of guilt by several accomplices based in the US.
According to federal charges, at least one of the 17 vulnerable or elderly victims lost about $150,000, including sending $30,000 in cash tucked inside a crockpot.
According to the Jamaica Gleaner, Allen was detained before when she tried to enter Fort Lauderdale in the United States in September 2021. Border control officers confirmed her involvement in the crimes based on statements collected from her co-conspirators, the serial number in her iPhone 11 Pro, the IMEI, and her phone number.
The JCF suspended the officer immediately following her arrest. Allen, who the JCF previously suspended on corruption allegations over two years ago, was only reinstated last year after winning a court case against the organization.
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