U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia
ATLANTA - An Atlanta woman will spend more than 16 years behind bars after stealing nearly $10 million from Amazon and forging a federal judge’s signature while out on bond.
Nearly $10 million Amazon scheme
What we know:
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Brittany Hudson owned a business contracted to deliver packages for Amazon. Federal prosecutors said she operated the fraud scheme alongside her partner, Kayricka Wortham, who worked as an operations manager at an Amazon warehouse in Smyrna.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said that between January 2022 and June 2022, Wortham used her position at the company to approve dozens of fake vendor profiles. Prosecutors stated that Hudson and Wortham then submitted over 1,000 fictitious invoices claiming those fake vendors provided goods and services to Amazon.
According to federal officials, Wortham approved the fraudulent payouts, causing Amazon to transfer roughly $9.4 million into bank accounts controlled by Hudson, Wortham, and their co-conspirators.
The U.S. Attorney's Office reported that the couple used the stolen money to purchase a nearly $1 million home in Smyrna, a 2019 Lamborghini Urus, a 2021 Dodge Durango, a 2022 Tesla Model X, a 2018 Porsche Panamera, and a Kawasaki motorcycle.
Forged judge's signature while out on bond
The U.S. Attorney's Office said federal charges were originally filed against Hudson and Wortham in September 2022. However, prosecutors said that while released on bond in January 2023, the pair attempted to secure a franchising deal for a Midtown Atlanta hookah lounge.
To trick the franchising company, federal officials said Hudson and Wortham claimed their criminal charges had been dropped, submitting counterfeit court documents with a former U.S. chief district judge and a Cobb County magistrate judge's signatures. Investigators added that Hudson also provided fake bank statements to support the franchise deal.
Sentencing and conviction
Federal prosecutors stated that a jury convicted Hudson of 30 felony counts on March 13, including wire fraud, money laundering, and forging a federal judge's signature.
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According to prosecutors, the court sentenced Hudson to 16 years and three months in federal prison without the possibility of parole, followed by three years of supervised release. The U.S. Attorney's Office added that Hudson was ordered to pay more than $9.4 million in restitution back to Amazon. Prosecutors also confirmed that a money judgment of over $7.8 million was entered against her. She was also ordered to forfeit her Smyrna home and funds seized from her bank accounts, according to federal prosecutors.
Wortham previously pleaded guilty and is currently serving a 17-year federal prison sentence for her role in the fraud and forgery schemes.
What they're saying:
Following the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg emphasized the severity of the crimes and praised the court's decision.
"Hudson and her partner engineered a massive fraud scheme against Amazon, stealing nearly $10 million in just a few months," he said. "Hudson then showed utter contempt for the law by forging a federal judge’s signature in a failed effort to defraud another company while out on bond. Today’s significant sentence... holds her accountable for her crime spree."
What we don't know:
Prosecutors did not release the identity of the additional co-conspirator at the Amazon warehouse who helped approve fake vendor profiles.
The specific franchising company targeted by Hudson and Wortham during the Midtown hookah lounge scheme was not named.
It is unclear whether any remaining portion of the $9.4 million stolen from Amazon was recovered.
The Source: Information in this story came from a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.