Orlando man sentenced to four years for laundering funds from lottery fraud scheme

Date: June 7, 2022

Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov

Last week, Sheldon Shaun Hibbert, most recently of Orlando, Florida, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Scott H. Rash to 48 months in prison. Hibbert previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.

Hibbert participated in a scheme where scammers called elderly victims and falsely stated they had won a lottery. To receive their "winnings," the victims were told they must first submit money for taxes and fees. Hibbert's role in the scheme was to help launder the fraudulent proceeds to Jamaica on behalf of his co-conspirators. As part of his sentence, the court also ordered a forfeiture money judgment against Hibbert totaling $196,523. A restitution hearing has been scheduled for August 5, 2022.

IRS - Criminal Investigation, FBI, United States Postal Inspection Service, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in the case. The Financial Crimes and Public Corruption section of the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.