Man Busted in $7 Million Publishers Clearing House Scam, Claims He Was Just “Helping Friends”

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Man Arrested for $7 Million Publishers Clearing House Lottery Scam Spanning Multiple States

Leroy Alfred Vassell {BSO}

A man is facing multiple felony charges after being implicated in an elaborate lottery scam that defrauded elderly victims of more than $7 million.

According to Lauderhill Police Department records, Leroy Alfred Vassell, 26, of Lauderhill, was arrested and charged with four counts of felony grand theft for crimes committed between October 2023 and February 2024.

According to records, Vassel allegedly engaged in a fraudulent Publishers Clearing House scheme aimed at defrauding older residents.

Lauderhill Police Department records indicate Vassell was a crucial player in the scheme in which victims were deceived into believing they had won the Publishers Clearing House lottery. Victims were instructed to send large sums of money under the guise of paying taxes and administrative fees before receiving their so-called winnings.

The investigation, which spanned several states, revealed that Vassell received cashier’s checks totaling $280,178.29 from four elderly victims. Court documents outline that the victims sent the checks to Vassell’s business address near the 2000 block of Northwest 56 Avenue in Lauderhill.

Multiple agencies investigated and found that the funds were deposited into Vassell’s business account and withdrawn shortly after, with Vassell keeping a portion of the money for himself.

One victim, identified in the case records, sent cashier’s checks amounting to $127,286.29, while another was defrauded of $93,497.00. A third victim lost $50,000.00, and a fourth sent $9,395.00—all under the false belief that they needed to pay the taxes on their winnings.

The arrest report shows the scheme unraveled when one of the victims reported the fraud to law enforcement in Boulder, Colorado. This led to a broader investigation that connected the fraudulent activity to Vassell’s bank accounts.

During the probe, Boulder Police Department detectives discovered that the funds were being funneled through Vassell’s accounts as part of a sophisticated money laundering operation.

In an interview with law enforcement, Vassell claimed that he was unaware of the source of the funds and insisted he was assisting friends by allowing them to use his bank accounts. However, investigators traced multiple deposits to Vassell’s accounts that matched the cashier’s checks sent by victims.

Surveillance footage confirmed Vassell as the depositor of the funds.

Vassell’s attorney later claimed as a defense that his client had been receiving threatening phone calls from an unknown Jamaican male. The man allegedly demanded the return of funds. Vassell said he feared for his and his family’s safety in Jamaica.

Despite Vassell’s initial cooperation with authorities, he declined to speak on the record and handed over a cashier’s check for $33,555.15—the remaining balance from one of the illicit deposits—to the City of Lauderhill for safekeeping while the investigation continued.

As the investigation continued, arrest records show that additional victims came forward, with some reporting losses exceeding $500,000.

Many victims indicated they were contacted by individuals claiming to represent Publishers Clearing House, who provided detailed instructions on how to send their payments. The funds were often directed to Vassell’s business account or others involved in the scheme.

Authorities urge anyone who may have been affected by this scam to contact the Lauderhill Police Department or the Boulder Police Department for further assistance. The investigation remains ongoing as additional suspects and victims are associated with this extensive lottery fraud operation.

Vassell was arrested and remains in the Broward County Main Jail.

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Author Profile

Ryan Yousefi

Ryan Yousefi has lived in Coral Springs for over 30 years. He has worked as a writer for multiples outlets over the years, including the Miami New Times where he has covered sports and culture since 2013. He holds a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in Business Healthcare Management from Western Governors University.