A nearly $10 million fraud scheme involving fake Amazon vendors, more than 1,000 fictitious invoices and a collection of luxury purchases has ended with two Atlanta women receiving a combined 33 years in federal prison. The case became even more dramatic when prosecutors said the fraud was followed by an alleged attempt to deceive another company while the defendants were already out on bond.
Brittany Hudson, 40, was sentenced on August 26, 2026, to 16 years and three months in federal prison, while her former romantic partner and Amazon operations manager, Kayricka Wortham, 35, is serving a total of 17 years. Together, the case traces a remarkable chain of events involving millions of dollars, luxury vehicles, a nearly $1 million home and forged court documents.
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Atlanta Amazon fraud scheme led to nearly $10 million in fake vendor payments
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, Hudson owned a business that contracted with Amazon to deliver packages. She was also in a romantic relationship with Wortham, who worked as an operations manager at Amazon’s warehouse in Smyrna, Georgia.
Wortham, also known as Kayricka Dupree and Kayricka Young, had authority to approve new vendors and vendor invoice payments for Amazon.
Between January 2022 and June 2022, prosecutors said Hudson and Wortham created dozens of fake vendors within Amazon’s vendor system. Wortham and another co-conspirator at Amazon approved the fake vendor profiles, allowing the purported vendors to begin submitting invoices.
What followed was the core of the nearly $10 million Amazon fraud scheme.
Hudson and Wortham submitted more than 1,000 fictitious invoices falsely claiming that the nonexistent vendors had provided goods and services to Amazon. Wortham then approved those invoices, causing Amazon to transfer approximately $9.4 million into bank accounts controlled by Hudson, Wortham and their co-conspirators.
| Time | Event | Official Detail |
| January–June 2022 | Fraud scheme operated | More than 1,000 fictitious invoices submitted |
| September 2022 | Federal charges filed | Hudson and Wortham were charged |
| June 27, 2023 | Wortham sentenced | Initially received 16 years in federal prison |
| March 13, 2026 | Hudson convicted | Found guilty of all 30 felony counts |
| March 25, 2026 | Wortham sentenced again | Additional one-year consecutive term |
| August 26, 2026 | Hudson sentenced | Received 16 years and three months |
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Nearly $1 million home, Lamborghini and luxury vehicles bought with fraud proceeds
The millions transferred through the alleged fake vendor operation did not simply disappear into anonymous accounts.
According to prosecutors, Hudson and Wortham used the fraudulent proceeds to purchase expensive real estate and high-end vehicles. The purchases included a nearly $1 million home in Smyrna, Georgia, a 2019 Lamborghini Urus, a 2021 Dodge Durango, a 2022 Tesla Model X, a 2018 Porsche Panamera and a Kawasaki ZX636 motorcycle.
Those purchases later became central to the government’s efforts to recover the proceeds.
Hudson was ordered to forfeit her Smyrna residence and money seized from her bank accounts. She was also ordered to pay $9,469,731.45 in restitution to Amazon, while the court entered a forfeiture money judgment of $7,859,135.54 against her.
Wortham had previously forfeited more than $3 million, along with the Smyrna home and the luxury vehicles purchased with fraudulent proceeds.
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The alleged fraud did not stop after federal charges were filed
The case took an even more unusual turn after Hudson and Wortham were charged in federal court in September 2022.
While out on bond, the pair attempted to defraud a franchising company in January 2023 while seeking to open a hookah lounge in Midtown Atlanta.
During efforts to secure the franchise agreement, Hudson and Wortham falsely claimed that their Amazon-related criminal charges had been dismissed, according to prosecutors.
To support that claim, they emailed counterfeit court documents that purported to show the dismissal of their charges. The documents contained forged signatures belonging to former Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr., and Cobb County Magistrate Judge Norman L. Barnett, who was then one of the prosecutors involved in the case.
Hudson also sent doctored bank statements and personal financial statements that falsely inflated the balances in her and Wortham’s accounts in an effort to support the franchise deal.
Their pretrial release was immediately revoked following the conduct.
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Brittany Hudson convicted on all 30 felony counts in Amazon fraud case
Hudson’s case eventually went to trial, and a federal jury convicted her on March 13, 2026, of all 30 felony offenses charged.
The convictions included two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 17 counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, nine counts of money laundering and one count of forgery of the signature of a federal judge.
The jury also determined that money seized from Hudson’s bank accounts and her Smyrna residence were forfeitable as proceeds of the Amazon fraud scheme.
Her August 26 sentencing marked the latest major phase of the case.
U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said:
“Hudson and her partner engineered a massive fraud scheme against Amazon, stealing nearly $10 million in just a few months. 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, which must be served without the possibility of parole, holds her accountable for her crime spree.”
Rob Donovan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Atlanta Field Office, said:
“The sentencing in this case brings a brazen fraud operation to its inevitable conclusion – years behind bars for the criminals involved. Our office remains steadfast in our commitment to uncover fraud, protect victims, and work with our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring criminals like this to justice.”
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Kayricka Wortham is now serving a total 17-year federal sentence
Wortham had already been sentenced before Hudson’s trial concluded.
On June 27, 2023, she was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $9,469,731.45 in restitution to Amazon.
She had also forfeited more than $3 million, the Smyrna residence and the vehicles purchased with fraudulent proceeds.
Wortham later faced additional consequences connected to the forged court documents. After pleading guilty to forging the signature of a federal judge, she was sentenced on March 25, 2026, to an additional one-year term to be served consecutively to her existing sentence.
That brought her total federal prison term to 17 years.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Secret Service, while Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen H. McClain, Angela Adams and Nicholas L. Evert prosecuted the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
What began as dozens of fake vendors and more than 1,000 fictitious invoices ultimately became a sprawling federal case involving approximately $9.4 million, luxury property, expensive vehicles, forged judicial signatures and an attempted second fraud while the defendants were already facing criminal charges.
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Disclaimer
This article is based on thorough research from official U.S. Department of Justice records and related reporting, including information released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Allegations, procedural history, convictions, sentencing and forfeiture orders are presented as described in prosecutors’ statements and public court records. The article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Sources
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia — Amazon Fraud Defendant Sentenced to More than 16 Years in Federal Prison (August 26, 2026)
- U.S. Department of Justice — Jury Convicts Owner of Amazon Delivery Business for Fraud Schemes and Forging Federal Judge’s Signature (March 2026)
- U.S. Department of Justice — Former Amazon Employees Plead Guilty to $10 Million Fraud (December 2022)
- U.S. Department of Justice — Mastermind of $10 Million Amazon Fraud Scheme Sentenced to 16 Years in Federal Prison (July 2023)
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