Georgia Man Pleads Guilty in Multi-State Fraud Scheme Targeting Seniors

PROVIDENCE, RI – A Georgia man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Rhode Island to charges related to his role in a wide-ranging lottery and sweepstakes scam that defrauded senior citizens in Rhode Island and several other states out of at least one million dollars, announced United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda.

Patrick Dallas, 38, of Atlanta, GA, pleaded guilty on February 5, 2026, to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Dallas is scheduled to be sentenced on May 7, 2026. A federal judge will determine the sentence after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

According to court documents, Dallas, of Cumming, GA, and two co- conspirators defrauded elderly individuals through a bogus “Publishers Clearing House” (PCH) or similar sweepstakes scam and laundered the proceeds through entities and bank accounts they controlled.

Victims were told they had won large sums of money, often millions of dollars, in a PCH lottery or sweepstakes. They were told that in order to collect their winnings, they were required to provide personal identifying information for prize verification purposes, and that they had to pay upfront fees or taxes. Some of the victims were directed to send money, gift cards, and/or high value items such as Rolex watches and iPhones, purportedly to cover these fees, to various addresses controlled by the defendants.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John P. McAdams.

The matter was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Warwick Police Department.

Homeland Security Investigations in Atlanta, Georgia State Patrol, Forsyth County Sherriff’s Office, Fulton Count Sherriff’s office, the U.S. Marshalls Service, and the East Providence Police Department also assisted in the investigation.