Bellefonte woman pleads guilty in connection to lottery scam. Here’s how it worked
A Bellefonte woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to swindling about six people out of at least $183,000 as part of a phony lottery scam.
Mildred Hoy was accused of convincing people between December 2019 and January to send her money under the belief they won a lottery and needed to send her cash to “unlock” their winnings, federal prosecutors wrote.
She received money at least 27 times, prosecutors wrote. Amounts ranged from $1,200 to $69,500. Totals were not listed in 13 instances.
Hoy was accused of receiving bulk payments in the mail, repacking the money and sending it to a co-conspirator in Texas. She sent more than $461,500 over the course of 21 transactions, prosecutors wrote.
Hoy was also accused of using an ATM in State College to purchase Bitcoins that she sent to a second co-conspirator. The Bitcoin deposits were worth more than $27,500, prosecutors wrote.
She pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Federal Assistant Public Defender Gerald Lord did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.