A Florida man has been charged with numerous felonies for allegedly scamming elderly Missouri residents out of approximately $250 thousand.

Attorney General Chris Koster says Patrick Percival Wilson was charged in Perry County with financial exploitation of an elderly person, unlawful merchandising practices, and two counts of stealing by deceit.

 

According to Koster, Wilson represented to elderly Missouri residents that they had won large cash prizes but needed to pay certain taxes or fees before they could claim the prizes.

Koster alleges that Wilson sent letters purporting to be from “The Federal Reserve Board, Internal Revenue Service” and signed by “John McCain, IRS.” The letters stated that a Perry County couple had won ten million dollars from the Mega Millions Sweepstakes Company but needed to prepay for “insurance coverage, registration fee, and auxiliary charges” before they received their money.

Other mail solicitations, purportedly from the “Contest Department and Treasury Department” and “NBC,” confirmed the victims’ winnings and asked for the funds to be wired to Wilson and others.

Wilson was arrested in Orlando, Florida, October 25. He will be extradited to Missouri. A judge set bond at $100 thousand with the condition that the defendant not leave the state of Missouri.