4 charged in NY with wire fraud conspiracy in $5M Princess Diana Lottery identity theft scheme

4 men charged in NY in Princess Diana Lottery scam

NEW YORK — New York City prosecutors have charged four men with cheating people by telling them they’d won the bogus $5 Million Princess Diana Lottery.

A complaint unsealed Thursday in federal court in Brooklyn accuses the men of telling other victims in e-mails they’d inherited millions of dollars from distant relatives.

The ploy was used to get the victims to give up bank account and other personal information that was used to steal their identities. Some victims even were persuaded to wire money to pay taxes.

Victims from across the United States and their banks lost more than $2 million.

The men each face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of wire fraud conspiracy.

Diana was the Princess of Wales. She died in a Paris car crash in August 1997.