According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office Northern Department of Georgia, Kayricka Wortham has been charged in connection with the theft of the money in Georgia along with six other individuals.
Wortham, 32, managed other employees, approved new vendors, and oversaw the company's payment of vendor invoices while working as an operations manager at an Amazon warehouse in Georgia from August 2020 to March 2022.
According to the press release, Wortham used her position to submit over $10 million in invoices for fictitious suppliers, which caused Amazon to pay her and the other parties $9.4 million. According to the press release, Wortham instructed her staff to unintentionally enter the false vendor information into the system.
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"After the data was input, Wortham gave the fictitious vendors approval so they could submit invoices. Then Wortham and his accomplices deceitfully represented that the vendors had given Amazon goods and services by submitting fabricated invoices to Amazon. According to the press release, Wortham approved the invoices, which led Amazon to transfer millions of dollars in fraudulent proceeds to bank accounts under her and her co-conspirators' control.
Officials claim that in the scheme to submit fictitious invoices to Amazon, Wortham collaborated with others, including her partner Brittany Hudson, 37. She also collaborated with Laquettia Blanchard, a senior human resources assistant at Amazon, and Demetrius Hines, a loss prevention employee. Officials claim that both workers assisted Wortham in setting up additional fictitious vendor accounts.
According to the press release, Hines used stolen personal data that he bought from JaQuan Frazier, who allegedly bought the data from Darrel J. Burgo.
It claims that "Hines and Blanchard were paid in fraudulent proceeds." "Hines also enlisted Jamar L. James, Sr., a different Operations Manager at the Amazon facility in Duluth, Georgia, to join the scheme. James, like Wortham, is accused of approving phony invoices and phony vendors, even after Wortham left Amazon in March 2022.
According to the press release, Wortham and Hudson committed new crimes while they were out on bond, which led to the cancellation of their bonds. With the aid of CRU Franchising Company, the pair attempted to open a hookah lounge in Atlanta, Georgia in January 2023, lying about the accusations of Amazon fraud against them by claiming the charges were dropped.
Wortham and Hudson then sent false court documents via email to CRU Franchising Company that purported to show the dismissal of the charges and contained fake seals and signatures from the Clerk of the Court as well as the Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy Batten Sr.
According to the press release, Hudson "also allegedly emailed CRU doctored bank statements and personal financial statements that fraudulently inflated the balances in her accounts to support the franchise deal."
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On November 30, 2022, Wortham admitted guilt and was found guilty of the fraud charges. She was given a 16-year prison term, followed by three years of supervised release, and she must pay Amazon $9,469,731.45 in restitution. She is also charged with forging a federal judge's signature and the court's seal in addition to allegedly defrauding CRU Franchising Company.
On November 30, 2022, Hines pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. On June 27, Frazier and Blanchard entered guilty pleas to misprision of a felony and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, respectively. The three defendants will all receive sentences at a later time.
A grand jury also charged Hudson and James with conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering, as well as Hudson with forging a federal judge's signature and the Court's seal on June 20. The indictment listed Burgo's charges as conspiracy, access device fraud, and severe identity theft.
Wortham, 32, managed other employees, approved new vendors, and oversaw the company's payment of vendor invoices while working as an operations manager at an Amazon warehouse in Georgia from August 2020 to March 2022.
According to the press release, Wortham used her position to submit over $10 million in invoices for fictitious suppliers, which caused Amazon to pay her and the other parties $9.4 million. According to the press release, Wortham instructed her staff to unintentionally enter the false vendor information into the system.
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"After the data was input, Wortham gave the fictitious vendors approval so they could submit invoices. Then Wortham and his accomplices deceitfully represented that the vendors had given Amazon goods and services by submitting fabricated invoices to Amazon. According to the press release, Wortham approved the invoices, which led Amazon to transfer millions of dollars in fraudulent proceeds to bank accounts under her and her co-conspirators' control.
Officials claim that in the scheme to submit fictitious invoices to Amazon, Wortham collaborated with others, including her partner Brittany Hudson, 37. She also collaborated with Laquettia Blanchard, a senior human resources assistant at Amazon, and Demetrius Hines, a loss prevention employee. Officials claim that both workers assisted Wortham in setting up additional fictitious vendor accounts.
According to the press release, Hines used stolen personal data that he bought from JaQuan Frazier, who allegedly bought the data from Darrel J. Burgo.
It claims that "Hines and Blanchard were paid in fraudulent proceeds." "Hines also enlisted Jamar L. James, Sr., a different Operations Manager at the Amazon facility in Duluth, Georgia, to join the scheme. James, like Wortham, is accused of approving phony invoices and phony vendors, even after Wortham left Amazon in March 2022.
According to the press release, Wortham and Hudson committed new crimes while they were out on bond, which led to the cancellation of their bonds. With the aid of CRU Franchising Company, the pair attempted to open a hookah lounge in Atlanta, Georgia in January 2023, lying about the accusations of Amazon fraud against them by claiming the charges were dropped.
Wortham and Hudson then sent false court documents via email to CRU Franchising Company that purported to show the dismissal of the charges and contained fake seals and signatures from the Clerk of the Court as well as the Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy Batten Sr.
According to the press release, Hudson "also allegedly emailed CRU doctored bank statements and personal financial statements that fraudulently inflated the balances in her accounts to support the franchise deal."
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM WAYNEDUPREE.COM
On November 30, 2022, Wortham admitted guilt and was found guilty of the fraud charges. She was given a 16-year prison term, followed by three years of supervised release, and she must pay Amazon $9,469,731.45 in restitution. She is also charged with forging a federal judge's signature and the court's seal in addition to allegedly defrauding CRU Franchising Company.
On November 30, 2022, Hines pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. On June 27, Frazier and Blanchard entered guilty pleas to misprision of a felony and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, respectively. The three defendants will all receive sentences at a later time.
A grand jury also charged Hudson and James with conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering, as well as Hudson with forging a federal judge's signature and the Court's seal on June 20. The indictment listed Burgo's charges as conspiracy, access device fraud, and severe identity theft.
