Warrants: Lottery Scammers Dupe Woman, 76

Two men, through a series of phone conversations and mailings, convinced a 76-year-old woman to cough up more than $40,000 in so-called tax payments if she wanted to secure the money from a lottery win, according to Cobb County warrants.

In actuality, the woman was no lottery winner, records show. And the $40,750 that she sent the men went into the Chase bank account of an alleged scammer, Damien Jervon Reed of Powder Springs.

Authorities allege in documents that Reed made two deposits last summer at a Chase location near Town Center at Cobb, one for $7,000 on June 27 and another for $33,750 on July 11.

Reed and Jerome Abemelu Afebuame, also of Powder Springs, were arrested Feb. 27. Authorities accuse the men of working in concert to dupe the woman. They face various charges, including two counts of theft by deception and exploitation of an elderly person.

While Reed has been released, Afebuame remains in custody in lieu of $25,000 bond. He faces an additional theft by deception charge in connection with an unrelated case.

According to a warrant, a man thought he was paying rent on a New York property when he wired $10,380 from his PNC Bank account to the Fifth Third Bank account of Jey & Zion LLC on Feb. 12.

Afebuame, records show, is the sole proprietor of Jey & Zion LLC.