Source: PATRICK T. FALLON / Getty
Fraud mastermind Kayricka Wortham received a 16-year prison sentence for the $9.4 million she stole as an operations manager for Amazon.
Also known as “Kayricka Dupree” and “Kayricka Young,” the 32-year-old Georgia resident must undergo three years of supervised release and pay her astounding $9,469,731.45 restitution. The recently sentenced woman lied her way into fraudulently securing her millions, according to the United States Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Georgia. She also committed crimes while on bond and forged the signature of a high-ranking government official. She pled guilty and was convicted of her charges in late November 2022.
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan claimed that Wortham was the ringleader behind a “brazen fraud scheme involving fake vendors and fictitious invoices.”
The 32-year-old ran her multi-million scheme from August 2020 to March 2022 in a Smyrna-based Amazon warehouse. As an operations manager, the former employee held authority regarding the approval and payments of new and established warehouse vendors. She took advantage of that status and involved other Amazon employees, knowingly and unknowingly, in her scheme.
“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. Wortham approved the invoices, causing Amazon to transfer millions in fraudulent proceeds to bank accounts controlled by her and her co-conspirators.”
The 32-year-old had $2.7 million of her stolen funds scattered across several bank accounts. She also purchases a $1 million home in Smyrna and a fleet of luxury automobiles — including “a 2019 Lamborghini Urus, a 2021 Dodge Durango, a 2022 Tesla Model X, a 2018 Porsche Panamera and a Kawasaki ZX636 motorcycle.” The government ultimately seized or forfeited the stolen money and fraudulently purchased goods.
Worthan is one of seven fellow employees that were charged. Three of the accused — Laquettia Blanchard, Demetrius Hines and JaQuan Frazier — have already pled guilty to related offenses.
The remaining parties — Brittany Hudson, Jamar L. James, Sr. and Darrel J. Burgo — all have combinations of charges attached to their names.
Hudson, 37, was Wortham’s close partner in the whole operation. In addition to being in a relationship and submitting the fake invoices together, the two shared a business, Legend Express LLC, “that contracted with Amazon to deliver packages to customers.”
The Georgia residents purchased the spoils of their lavish lifestyle together — including the aforementioned real estate and luxury vehicles.
The U.S. Secret Service still has the case under investigation.
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