Jamaican national Alando “Tight Pants” Gentles was extradited to the United States last Thursday to face criminal charges linked to a deadly lottery scam.
Gentles was handed over to authorities in South Carolina, where he will be prosecuted for mail fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy, a senior American official confirmed.
According to Eric Shen, Inspector in charge of the Criminal Investigation Group at the US Postal Inspection Service, Gentles is the fifth Jamaican extradited to the US this year for lottery scamming offenses. “We have one more pending this year,” Shen revealed during an interview with The Gleaner at the United States Embassy in St. Andrew.
Shen noted the rise in Jamaican scammers leveraging technology to expand their reach to more American victims. “Social media gives them more reach, and you are seeing more cryptocurrency being used to move the funds,” he explained.
This latest extradition highlights the ongoing efforts to crack down on lottery scams, which have targeted numerous Americans and led to devastating financial and personal losses.