Date: November 17, 2021 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov Tucson, AZ — Joseph Andre Batts of Sicklerville, New Jersey, was sentenced yesterday by Senior U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins to 70 months in prison. Batts previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering and Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud. Between 2013 and 2018, Batts participated in a scheme where Jamaican-based scammers and others called elderly victims in the United States, claiming the victims had won a lottery or other prize. To receive their winnings, the victims were told that they must first pay money for taxes and fees. Batts' role in this scheme was to sell and distribute "lead lists," which contained the names and personal information of thousands of primarily elderly individuals for the scammers to contact. Batts also distributed scamming scripts and template letters to teach others how to conduct the scheme. He then used others to help launder portions of the fraudulent proceeds. The Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations – Tucson Office, U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and the Diplomatic Security Service, conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney's Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.
