Canadian Gets Nine Years For Lottery Scam That Targeted Elderly Americans

Henry Anekwu, a resident of Vancouver, British Columbia, has been sentenced to 108 months in federal prison for operating a fraudulent lottery scheme that targeted dozens of elderly Americans victims, who lost at least $600,000. Anekwu also was ordered to pay $510,840 in restitution to his victims. 

Anekwu was convicted in April of 10 counts of mail fraud committed through telemarketing and six counts of wire fraud committed through telemarketing. Anekwu ran the lottery scheme out of two Canadian companies he owned, Platinum Award, Inc. and Capital Award, Inc. The evidence presented at his trial showed that Anekwu, from 1998 through 2003, employed telemarketers who contacted potential victims in the United States to falsely inform them they had won a lottery. Victims were advised that they were required to pay taxes or fees prior to collecting the lottery winnings. Victims wrote checks to the fraudulent lottery companies in amounts ranging from $475 to $60,000. “If a victim sent money, [Anekwu] or the telemarketers he employed would call the victim back over and over again, demanding more and more money, even encouraging the victims to borrow money and/or mortgage their homes,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing brief filed with the court. None of the 79 identified victims ever received any lottery winnings, and several victims lost their homes as a result of this scheme.
 
During the sentencing hearing, the court noted that Anekwu showed no remorse for his victims, who suffered “devastating consequences” as a result of Anekwu’s fraudulent conduct. The court added that it was “painful” to listen to the trial testimony of victims, who were both financially and emotionally devastated by Anekwu’s crimes.
 
Two years after he had been indicted by a federal grand jury, Anekwu was arrested in Canada in 2005 by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Anekwu was extradited to the United States in December 2009 after the Supreme Court of Canada rejected his appeal of his extradition.