Former TSA agent, Atlanta police officer sentenced for lottery scheme

CHARLOTTE, NC (AP) — Federal officials say a former Transportation Security Administration agent and Atlanta police officer was sentenced to 27 months in prison for his role in a Jamaican-based lottery scheme that targeted elderly victims in the U.S.

In a hearing in Charlotte on Thursday, officials say 27-year-old Dominic Hugh Smith of Douglasville, Georgia, was also ordered to pay almost $725,000 in restitution. Court documents say Smith worked from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, for at least part of the time while the scheme operated.

He had pleaded guilty in June 2014 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the conduct of telemarketing.

Officials say the scheme targeted elderly people who paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in bogus fees after being told on the phone they had won money and prizes in a lottery.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)