Prosecutors in Israel insist on extraditing lottery scammers to the US

On Thursday prosecutors in Israel applied for court approval to extradite 11 people wanted in the United States on charges of running a telemarketing fraud that bilked elderly victims out of more than $25 million. On Tuesday a district court in Manhattan disclosed criminal indictments accusing 12 people of defrauding victims in the US by falsely reporting them that they had won an international lottery.

The statement of authorities reports that the perpetrators instructed victims to pay thousands of dollars in fees and taxes before they could claim their prizes. But in fact there was no lottery and the victims never got their prizes after sending money to the fraudsters in Israel.

On Thursday eleven defendants including ten Israelis and a U.S. citizen appeared in a Jerusalem court where prosecutors demanded they remain in custody until they are extradited to the United States.