A woman from Atlanta involved in a scheme that defrauded Amazon of nearly $10 million received a prison sentence of over 16 years on Wednesday, according to the Justice Department.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia confirmed that Brittany Hudson was sentenced to 16 years and three months after she and her partner exploited their business relationship with Amazon for fraudulent gains.
Hudson was found guilty in March of 30 felony counts, which included wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, and one count of forging a federal judge’s signature.
“Hudson and her accomplice orchestrated a significant fraud against Amazon, stealing close to $10 million in just a few months,” stated U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg.
He added, “Hudson displayed blatant disregard for the law by forging a federal judge’s signature in a misguided attempt to deceive another company while she was out on bond. This substantial sentence, with no chance for parole, ensures she is held accountable for her criminal activities.”
Between January and June of 2022, Hudson and her partner, Kayricka Wortham, executed a scheme involving fake vendors and invoices in Amazon’s vendor system, as detailed by the DOJ. Wortham, along with another co-conspirator at Amazon, approved these fraudulent vendor profiles, which facilitated the submission of invoices.
The pair submitted over 1,000 false invoices, falsely asserting that fictitious vendors had provided goods and services to Amazon. With Wortham’s approval, those invoices led to Amazon transferring approximately $9.4 million to bank accounts controlled by Hudson, Wortham, and their associates.
They used the ill-gotten funds to make extravagant purchases, including a nearly $1 million home in Smyrna and a fleet of luxury vehicles that featured a 2019 Lamborghini Urus and a 2021 Dodge Durango among others.
In September 2022, both women faced federal fraud charges linked to their scheme. While out on bond, they attempted to deceive a franchising company by proposing to open a hookah lounge in Midtown Atlanta, claiming their criminal charges had been dismissed. This led to the revocation of their pretrial release.
To back this claim, Hudson and Wortham emailed forged court documents with the false signatures of a former Chief U.S. District Judge and a local magistrate judge. Additionally, Hudson sent fake financial statements to secure their business deal.
Rob Donovan, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service Atlanta Field Office, commented, “The sentencing in this case concludes a bold fraud operation, leading to years of imprisonment for those involved. Our office is resolute in exposing fraud, protecting victims, and collaborating with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to seek justice against criminals like these.”
Alongside her prison sentence, Hudson was ordered to repay $9,469,731 to Amazon, while the court also established a forfeiture money judgment of $7,859,136, mandating her to forfeit her Smyrna home and any money seized from her bank account as proceeds of the fraud.
Wortham was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2023, with an additional year added in March 2026 after she pleaded guilty to forging a federal judge’s signature. She was similarly ordered to repay $9,469,731 and forfeited over $3 million in assets, including the Smyrna home and luxury vehicles.
