Sefton Olivair Stewart

Introduction

Sefton Olivair Stewart, also known as “Powa,” 41, of Montego Bay, Jamaica, was sentenced on October 16, 2026 to 72 months in federal prison for his role in a nationwide lottery scheme that defrauded 28 victims — including an elderly man in western Michigan — out of more than $3.4 million, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan announced. Stewart, who was extradited from Jamaica to Grand Rapids in July 2026, pleaded guilty the same month to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney imposed the sentence, and Stewart will be removed from the United States after he serves it.

Background Information

The scheme Stewart joined was a classic foreign-based lottery fraud. Between October 2019 and September 2024, Stewart, co-conspirator Danielle Diarbakerly, and others contacted people in the United States and falsely told them they had won large prizes in a multistate lottery — cash and luxury vehicles — according to the Justice Department’s account. To claim the nonexistent prizes, victims were told they first had to pay taxes and fees. The conspirators backed the pitch with fake bank statements and counterfeit U.S. government documents designed to make the promises look legitimate; none of the prizes were real. The scheme took in $3.4 million from 28 victims across the country, including a resident of West Michigan whose case anchored the federal prosecution in Grand Rapids.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Convicted by plea and sentenced. Stewart pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison, with deportation to follow.

Stewart’s path to a Michigan courtroom ran through extradition. After being brought from Jamaica to Grand Rapids by the U.S. Marshals Service in July 2026, he pleaded guilty that same month to participating in the conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, admitting his role in the scheme that ran from October 2019 through September 2024, according to the U.S. Attorney’s announcement. On October 16, 2026, Judge Paul Maloney sentenced him to 72 months — six years — in federal prison, and ordered that he be removed from the United States after completing the term.

Stewart did not act alone. His co-conspirator Danielle Diarbakerly, 37, a Florida resident, had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering for her part in the scheme and was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison, the Justice Department said in announcing Stewart’s sentence. The West Michigan victim was one of 28 people the conspirators deceived, with total losses of more than $3.4 million — figures The Midwesterner and other outlets repeated in covering the sentencing. The joint investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations’ Grand Rapids office and IRS Criminal Investigation, and the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris O’Connor.

Public Reaction and Consequences

U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey used the sentencing to deliver a message aimed at Jamaica-based fraud operations: “There are people out there, like Stewart and Diarbakerly, who have decided to make a career out of defrauding U.S. citizens. We are doing everything we can to send the message that such careers have no future. If you engage in fraud, we will find you no matter where you are, charge you, convict you and persuade a judge to put you in prison. Stewart got that message today.” He added that other con artists “need to get the message that it’s time to change careers.”

HSI Detroit acting Special Agent in Charge Jeremy Pierczynski said fraudsters who prey on victims with false promises of life-changing prizes would be held accountable “regardless of where they operate,” and IRS Criminal Investigation’s acting Special Agent in Charge Todd Strom said Stewart and his co-conspirators “used deception, fake documents, and false promises of large cash prizes and luxury vehicles to steal millions of dollars from victims across the country,” warning that those who hide behind international borders will be pursued. Local coverage in Michigan framed the sentence as closure for a scheme that reached into the state.

Current Status

Stewart is serving a 72-month federal sentence imposed by Judge Maloney on October 16, 2026, and is slated for removal from the United States once the term is served. His conviction rests on his July 2026 guilty plea to the conspiracy count, so the case is fully adjudicated. Diarbakerly’s earlier 37-month sentence means both principals named in the scheme’s Michigan prosecution are now sentenced federal felons. No appeal by Stewart was reported in the available coverage, and no public statement from him or his defense was reported.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Stewart’s “career,” in his own prosecutor’s framing, was the fraud itself — and the sentence is designed to end it on both sides of the border: six years in U.S. custody followed by permanent removal to Jamaica. For the 28 victims, the resolution is the accountability the government promised rather than recovered money; the announcement did not itemize restitution, and elderly victims of prize scams rarely see their losses repaid in full. The case now stands with VerHey’s “careers have no future” warning attached to Stewart’s name in the press record — a transnational operator extradited, convicted, and deported from the pool of targets he worked.

Sources

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Michigan, “Jamaican Fraudster Extradited To Michigan Sentenced To Prison For His Role In Nationwide Fraud Scheme”, October 16, 2026 — source
The Midwesterner, “Jamaican man gets 6 years in federal prison for $3.4 million lottery scam that hit West Michigan”, October 21, 2026 — source