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TUCSON, Ariz. | June 25, 2025 –
Sherwayne Benjamin Bellinfantie, also known as “Ice Man,” has been extradited from Jamaica to the United States to face federal charges in connection with a romance and lottery fraud scheme that defrauded an 85-year-old Arizona resident of over $400,000.
Bellinfantie was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2022 in Tucson on charges of Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. He was arrested in Jamaica on an extradition warrant on July 3, 2023, and extradited on June 12, 2025.
According to the indictment, from December 2015 to January 2019, Bellinfantie and unnamed co-conspirators used false romantic pretenses and bogus sweepstakes promises to manipulate the elderly victim. The scheme involved:
- Creating a fictitious romantic identity to deceive the victim.
- Sending flowers and love messages to gain trust.
- Fraudulently claiming the victim had won a lottery or cash prize.
- Convincing the victim to send money for supposed “taxes” and “fees” related to the non-existent winnings.
The U.S. Department of Justice stated that each charge—Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering—carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Bellinfantie is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The case was investigated by the FBI Phoenix Division’s Tucson office. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona is prosecuting the case, with support from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, which assisted in Bellinfantie’s extradition.
Case Number: CR-22-0523-TUC-RCC
Release Number: 2025-095_Bellinfantie
