Man indicted for role in sweepstakes scam

A New Britain man was indicted for his alleged involvement in a sweepstakes scam that defrauded victims across the United States for millions of dollars, according to federal authorities.

A federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging Alrick Anthony Gardner, 32, of New Britain with six counts of mail fraud and four counts of wire fraud. Each charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, if convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

The indictment alleges that Gardner and others used a sweepstakes scheme dating back to 2020 to entice victims into sending them money, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Gardner and others would allegedly notify victims that they won a Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes and told them they must pay fees and taxes to collect the winnings, the indictment said.

According to the indictment, Gardner then would allegedly mail the victims fake documents, including a “winning notification” letter from Publishers Clearing House and a letter from the Internal Revenue Service saying they were required to pay taxes on their winnings.

Victims allegedly sent cash, money orders or checks through the mail to various addresses in Connecticut and the U.S., the indictment said. Gardner allegedly deposited some of that money into his personal bank account, according to the indictment.

Gardner was arrested on Thursday. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on a $50,000 bond pending trial, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.