Jamaican woman extradited to US over $80,000 lottery scam

A Jamaican woman accused of participating in a lottery scam that allegedly defrauded Kentucky residents of about $80,000 has been returned to the United States to face charges.

Jenel Chrissancia Rowe, 29, was brought back to the U.S. by federal marshals on Aug. 20 and taken into custody in Tennessee, according to local media reports.

Rowe is one of six people authorities have linked to a scheme targeting residents of Graves County, Kentucky, with letters falsely claiming they had won a $250 million lottery prize.

According to investigators, recipients were told they had to pay fees purportedly owed to the Internal Revenue Service before they could collect their winnings.

An arrest warrant alleges that some victims were instructed to deposit money into a bank account connected to Rowe as part of the supposed tax-payment process.

The Graves County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the scheme in December 2025 after learning that residents had received the fraudulent lottery notices. Investigators subsequently traced payments and identified suspects with connections to Florida and Jamaica.

Authorities obtained an arrest warrant for Rowe, who has ties to both locations.

Rowe arrived at Nashville International Airport on Thursday night and was transferred by U.S. marshals to Tennessee authorities. Davidson County Sheriff’s Office records show she was booked at 10:22 p.m.

She must now undergo extradition proceedings in Tennessee before she can be transferred to Graves County, Kentucky.

Authorities are seeking charges against Rowe of theft by deception and engaging in organized crime.

Three other suspects linked to the investigation are already in custody awaiting court proceedings, while authorities have identified six suspected co-conspirators in total.

The Federal Trade Commission warns that requests for taxes, processing costs, shipping charges or other fees before a person can receive supposed lottery or sweepstakes winnings are common signs of a scam.

The agency advises consumers not to send money or provide financial information in response to unsolicited prize notifications and to independently verify any claims that they have won a lottery or sweepstakes.