Costa Rican Living in El Paso Indicted for Fraudulent Lottery Scheme -- Stole more than One Million Dollars from Unsuspecting Individuals

Oct 23, 2020 · Sourced to the U.S. Department of Justice

The charges described here are allegations. The defendant(s) are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. This page reflects only what the Department of Justice has publicly announced, and links to the original release.

In El Paso, the federal grand jury indicted 39-year-old Allan Francisco Castrillo Bastos, a citizen of Costa Rica residing in El Paso, in connection with a scheme to steal over $1 million from dozens of unsuspecting individuals who believed they had won the lottery and had to pay

District

Western Texas

Announced

Oct 23, 2020

Forfeiture

$1.2M

Status

Charged

Defendants

Allan Francisco Castrillo Bastos — age 39 · El Paso · indicted

Charges

Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
Max: 20 years in prisonAllan Francisco Castrillo Bastos· indicted
Wire fraud (ten counts)
Max: 20 years in prisonAllan Francisco Castrillo Bastos· indicted
Making a false statement to obtain credit
Max: 30 years in prisonAllan Francisco Castrillo Bastos· indicted
Conspiracy to commit money laundering
Max: 20 years in prisonAllan Francisco Castrillo Bastos· indicted

Financial actions

forfeiture — Proceeds derived from the fraudulent lottery scheme
forfeiture: $1,219,357.42 — Money judgment sought against the defendant

Investigating agencies

U.S. Attorney's OfficeFederal Bureau of InvestigationOffice of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System-Bureau of Consumer Financial ProtectionHomeland Security Investigations

Case details

Prosecuting office: Western District of Texas
Assets: Bitcoin

Bank Fraud / False Statement To Obtain CreditCriminal ForfeitureCryptocurrencyInternational DimensionInternet-Based Fraud And Victim ProtectionLottery Fraud SchemeMoney LaunderingMulti-Agency Law Enforcement CooperationWire Fraud

Primary source

Every fact above is drawn from the Department of Justice's own announcement — a public-domain government record.

Read the original DOJ release →

This is a research and reference page compiled from public DOJ announcements, not legal advice. Details reflect the government's statements as of its release date and may not capture later developments such as appeals, dismissals, or overturned convictions. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.