A Former Amazon manager in Atlanta, Georgia has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for a “scheme” that stole nearly $10 million from the online retail giant.
Kayricka Wortham was sentenced for stealing more than $9.4 million from Amazon.com while employed as a manager for the company, according to the DOJ. Wortham, along with six others, are accused of running a “brazen fraud scheme” that used “fake vendors and fictitious invoices,” to strip their employer of millions.
“She then committed new crimes while on bond, even creating a fake dismissal document purporting to be from the court and that included the forged signature of the Chief U.S. District Judge, all for the purpose of misleading a franchising company about the status of her criminal charges,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said.
“Her prison sentence recognizes the magnitude of her fraud and serves to protect the integrity of our courts and justice system.”
The sentence comes after Wortham pled guilty in December along with another Atlanta resident, WSB-TV reports. Wortham and Demetrius Hines of Smyrna, Georgia were accused of using their managerial positions at Amazon to submit fake invoices for fake vendors, which led to the company paying about $9.4 million to bank accounts run by Wortham and the co-conspirators she recruited.
Wortham, who was deemed the “leader of the scheme,” and co-conspirator Brittany Hudson used the money to pay for real estate and luxury cars, including a $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 ZX636 motorcycle.
Authorities have said the sentence reflects how “seriously” they took their crimes.
“This individual stole millions from a business that employed her – exploiting not only their trust, but our nation’s financial systems,” Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Atlanta Field Office Steven R. Baisel said.
“Thanks to the hard work of our partners in the U.S. Attorney’s office, her sentence reflects the seriousness of her crimes and sends a message that this kind of fraudulent activity will not be tolerated.”
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