A Canadian national accused of operating fraudulent prize notice schemes was extradited to the United States and made his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, Las Vegas, on June 18, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced today.
Patrick Fraser, 44, of Alberta, Canada, will face federal charges of conspiracy and mail fraud. Fraser was arrested on June 14, 2023, by Canadian authorities pursuant to a U.S. extradition request and was surrendered to the United States this month.
A detention hearing was held on June 23, and Fraser was ordered detained pending trial.
According to the indictment, the defendant conspired with others to operate fraudulent schemes through which he mailed false prize notifications to individuals in the United States and other countries.
The prize notifications falsely represented that the victims had been specifically chosen to receive a large cash prize, typically over $1 million, and would receive the prize upon payment of a small fee. Many of the victims were elderly and vulnerable.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with the Consumer Protection Branch and our law enforcement partners in the United States and the world to identify and pursue transnational criminals who prey on older Americans,” said U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada.
Fraser is charged in a nine-count indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Las Vegas. If convicted, Fraser faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison per count.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
