The Brief
- Federal judges sentenced two Georgia inmates for running a phone extortion scheme targeting citizens from behind bars.
- The inmates impersonated police officers and collected over $464,920 from at least 119 victims nationwide using contraband cellphones.
- Victims were threatened with arrest over fake jury duty warrants and forced to send gift cards or wire transfers.
ALBANY, Ga. – Two Georgia inmates who used contraband cellphones to extortionately trick citizens out of hundreds of thousands of dollars from prison cells have been sentenced to federal prison, officials said.
Albany federal court sentencing
What we know:
Senior U.S. District Judge W. Louis Sands sentenced Lance Riddle, also known as “C-Port,” to serve 200 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Co-defendant Joey Amour Jackson, also known as “Apes—,” was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Both sentences will run consecutively to any state sentences the men were already serving.
A federal jury found Jackson and Riddle guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering on Jan. 9 following a five-day trial. Federal prison sentences do not offer parole. Restitution amounts will be determined by the court in 90 days.
Contraband prison phone scheme
What we don’t know:…