Christopher Thomas, WEEKEND STAR Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

A 19-year-old construction worker, accused of involvement with the infamous lottery scam, wept in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Wednesday as he was offered bail.

Javain Chambers could not help wiping away the tears in an effort to compose himself while his matter was being discussed, although the exact charge against him was not outlined.

The court was told that the United States Department of Homeland Security recently received complaints from two elderly residents who sent monies amounting to US$1,142 (J$101,967.12) and US$5,307 (J$473,852.48) to Jamaica after being told that they had supposedly won multi-million dollar lottery jackpots.

As a result of this information, investigations between the US Homeland Security and the Jamaican police led to Chambers being arrested on August 29.

However, the prosecution revealed that the allegations were hazy and uncertain, as the money recorded in the investigating officer's report amounted to J$200,000. It was also revealed that the officer, who was to supply more information for clarity, was absent from court as he was involved in a similar matter in Kingston.

Chambers' lawyer, Dionne Maylor-Reid, argued that it was unfair for her client to be incarcerated for an extended period without proper police investigations being done.

The RM eventually offered Chambers bail in the sum of $200,000, with two sureties, and instructed him to report to the Little London Police Station in Westmoreland on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

RM Hart-Hines also ordered a subpoena for the investigating officer to be present at court on October 17 when the case will again be mentioned.

Lottery scam players target especially United States residents, who are fleeced out of millions of dollars by the con artists, who contact them by telephone under the guise that the victims have won substantial lottery jackpots and need to pay various costs to collect their winnings.