A South King County man who preyed on people across the country with a phony sweepstakes scam, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to two years in prison, three years of supervised release and $238,346 in restitution announced Acting United States Attorney Annette L. Hayes.
Eugene Maganya, 30, of Des Moines, Washington was indicted and arrested in February 2014, after a victim alerted law enforcement that he had sent a money order to a commercial post office business in Covington, Washington. The investigation revealed that more than 120 people had sent money orders or wired funds to various false identities used by Maganya. The victims sent the money thinking it was a fee for processing sweepstakes winnings. At sentencing U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Zilly noted the scam specifically targeted those who are “older and more vulnerable.”