A Warwick woman was arraigned in federal court after allegedly bilking $10 million from her victims through a series of fake lottery and investment schemes.
Meagan Shine, 47, is facing four counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. She allegedly duped the elderly and other vulnerable people into sending her money by making them believe they were entitled to cash prizes, valuable items, or other premiums.
Shine used the U.S. Mail to send her victims fake solicitations that implied they were already big winners. The mailings were official looking and often contained fake bar codes, stamps, and other details to make it seem legitimate. Recipients were instructed to send cash to a post office box in Providence for the processing of their winnings.
The solicitations were sent to 41 states, and an investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service found that about 50,000 people responded.
Shine is accused of operating several businesses that took on names like Lucky Dog and Destiny Merchandise.
Her scam lasted for more than a decade and bilked her victims out of an estimated $10 million dollars.
She was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Providence and released on unsecured bond. The case is being investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with the reporting included in this story.