Extradited From Panama: Jamaican National Charged in Fake Publishers Clearing House Prize Scam

Published Nov. 2, 2026. Case statuses are current as of that date.

The call says you've won a big cash prize from Publishers Clearing House. There's just one catch: you have to pay the taxes and fees first. According to a federal indictment in Pennsylvania, that pitch was used to pull money from older Americans, and one person told he had won even received a promise of a Land Rover.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced on Oct. 30, 2026, that Ashanie M. Campbell, 29, of Panama City, Panama, and Jamaica, was extradited from Panama to the United States "this week" to face charges in the alleged scheme [1]. A co-defendant, Jeremie L. Cotton, 38, of Las Vegas, Nev., first appeared on the charges after his arrest in December 2025, according to the release.

Important: Campbell and Cotton have been charged, not convicted. "Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations," the U.S. Attorney's Office says. "All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court" [1].

How the alleged scam worked

The 29-count indictment describes a "lottery scam" in which "fraudsters pretended to reach out to people in the United States on behalf of Publishers Clearing House" [1]. Based on the prosecutors' summary, the alleged pattern was:

1. The win. Five specific victims described in the indictment, one of them identified only as "VICTIM 1," were contacted by phone and email and told they had won large cash prizes from Publishers Clearing House. One was also told he had won a Land Rover.
2. The fee. To claim their winnings, victims were told they first had to prepay expenses "such as taxes and administrative fees."
3. The next fee. "Once victims agreed to send and did send payments, they were then told that additional fees were due, and they were solicited for larger payments," the release says.

The indictment also alleges a strange detour involving the promised vehicle. According to prosecutors, co-conspirators in the United States bought a salvage Land Rover and repaired it using parts that one victim had shipped to them. Around October 2020, the Land Rover was shipped from an auto body shop in Queens, New York, to a car dealership in Kingston, Jamaica, "where it then came into the possession of Campbell in Jamaica," the release says.

The people charged

Ashanie M. Campbell is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and additional counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, and interstate transportation of property taken by fraud [1]. The indictment alleges that Campbell lived in Jamaica in 2020, traveled to Panama around May 2021, and "had access to and used a Google account with the address PCH8501@gmail.com in connection with this scheme."

Jeremie L. Cotton is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. According to the indictment, Cotton was "a U.S.-based intermediary that Campbell used to receive fraud-derived money transfers from lottery scam victims." Prosecutors also allege that money was sent from an account belonging to Cotton to other associates of Campbell, including to a bank account in Panama belonging to a contact of Campbell.

The release does not give a case number, a trial date, or the total amount victims lost. It does not say whether either defendant has entered a plea. We have not independently confirmed any court filings since the release, so the case should be treated as pending.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated, with help from the U.S. Marshals Service in Harrisburg. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi Romel Sharma is prosecuting, and the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs assisted with the extradition.

"Lottery scams exploit the hope of a life-changing prize and can leave victims facing devastating financial losses," said Christopher Nielsen, Inspector in Charge of the Postal Inspection Service's Philadelphia Division. "We urge anyone told to pay taxes or fees upfront to collect a prize to stop and verify the claim before sending money" [1].

What the charges carry

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, each count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, mail fraud, and wire fraud carries up to 20 years in prison. An extra 10 years may be imposed on certain fraud counts if the government proves the offense victimized 10 or more people over 55 or targeted people over 55. Interstate transportation of property taken by fraud carries up to 10 years. Any sentence would be decided by a judge under federal sentencing law and guidelines [1].

Red flags

These are general warning signs of prize and lottery scams, not findings about any defendant:

• You "won" a contest you never entered, or you're told about it by an unexpected call, text or email.
• You have to pay to collect. Real sweepstakes don't make winners pay taxes, "processing" or "administrative" fees up front to the company or a middleman.
• The fees keep growing. Each payment leads to a new charge, often bigger than the last.
• Free email addresses and personal accounts. A real prize company won't run its winnings through a Gmail account or ask you to wire money to a stranger's bank account.
• Requests to ship items, buy gift cards, or send cash by mail or courier.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Stop and don't pay. Hang up or don't reply.
2. Verify on your own. Look up the company's official contact information yourself rather than using the number or email in the message.
3. Tell someone you trust, especially if you've already sent money, and call your bank right away.
4. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, to the FBI at ic3.gov, and, if the mail was involved, to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
5. Age 60 or older? The DOJ Elder Justice Hotline is 1-833-372-8311 (1-833-FRAUD-11).

Case status (as of Nov. 2, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Nov. 2, 2026	Source
Ashanie M. Campbell, 29, Panama City, Panama, and Jamaica	Federal, M.D. Pa.	Charged in 29-count indictment (wire/mail fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, interstate transportation of property taken by fraud); extradited from Panama the week ending Oct. 30, 2026. Plea status not stated in the release.	[1]
Jeremie L. Cotton, 38, Las Vegas	Federal, M.D. Pa.	Charged (wire/mail fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy); arrested December 2025. Plea status not stated in the release.	[1]

Neither defendant has been convicted. Both are presumed innocent. Statuses can change.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania, "Jamaican National Extradited to United States on Fraud and Money Laundering Charges," Oct. 30, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdpa/pr/jamaican-national-extradited-united-states-fraud-and-money-laundering-charges

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