Kayricka Wortham, a former Amazon operations manager from Georgia, has been handed a 16-year prison sentence for her role in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme against the tech giant.
Wortham, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud, orchestrated a fraudulent operation that resulted in Amazon being defrauded of more than $9.4 million.
Her partner in crime, Brittany Hudson, was also implicated in the scheme and utilized the stolen funds to acquire luxury items, including high-end vehicles and valuable real estate.
“Once the information was entered, Wortham approved the fake vendors, enabling them to submit invoices. Wortham and co-conspirators then submitted fictitious invoices to Amazon, falsely representing that the vendors had provided goods and services to Amazon,” U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern Department of Georgia said in a press release.
“Wortham approved the invoices, causing Amazon to transfer millions in fraudulent proceeds to bank accounts controlled by her and her co-conspirators,” the release added.
During her tenure with Amazon, which spanned 18 months, Wortham masterminded the scam by fabricating invoices and falsely claiming that vendors had provided goods and services to the company.
To execute the fraud, Wortham manipulated her subordinates by providing them with fraudulent information, which they unknowingly added to the system and subsequently approved.
In an attempt to make restitution, Wortham has voluntarily surrendered the ill-gotten assets, including the nearly $1 million home, luxury cars, and a motorcycle, to the authorities.
Additionally, she has forfeited approximately $2.7 million from her bank accounts.
As part of her sentencing, Wortham has been ordered to repay approximately $9.47 million to Amazon, reflecting the full extent of the financial loss incurred by the company.
“Wortham pleaded guilty and was convinced of the fraud charges on Nov. 30, 2022. She was sentenced to 16 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release and will have to pay restitution to Amazon totaling $9,469,731.45.” USA Today reported.
Despite the legal repercussions she currently faces, Wortham is still confronted with additional charges related to an alleged endeavor to defraud another company.
These charges involve the forging of a federal judge’s signature and the court’s seal. These criminal activities transpired while Wortham was out on bond and engaged in misleading a franchising company about the status of her pending criminal charges.
