A federal jury convicted Brittany Hudson on March 13 of all 30 counts related to a scheme that defrauded Amazon of nearly $10 million, laundered the proceeds, lied to a franchising company while on pretrial release, and forged the signature of a federal judge on fake court documents.
The case highlights the role of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia as the principal federal law enforcement agency in the region, serving over 7.5 million residents and coordinating cases with national and international dimensions, according to the official website. The office prioritizes prosecution of threats such as terrorism, human trafficking, and civil rights violations to serve its community.
According to U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, Hudson owned Legend Express LLC, which contracted with Amazon for package delivery. She was in a relationship with Kayricka Wortham, an operations manager at an Amazon warehouse in Smyrna, Georgia. Together they created fake vendors and invoices between January and June 2022. Wortham used her authority at Amazon to approve these vendors and invoices, resulting in approximately $9.4 million being transferred from Amazon to accounts controlled by Hudson, Wortham, and their co-conspirators.
“Hudson and her literal partner in crime brazenly stole nearly $10 million from Amazon through a fraud scheme involving fake vendors and invoices,” said Hertzberg. “A federal jury put an end to Hudson’s insatiable greed by returning a guilty verdict on 30 counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and forgery.”
Special Agent in Charge Robert Donovan of the U.S. Secret Service Atlanta Field Office said: “The level of greed on the part of the perpetrators in this case was staggering. Leveraging personal relationships, she stole millions from Amazon and was so confident she wouldn’t be caught, she even forged the signature of a federal judge with the intent of defrauding a second company. Thanks to the diligent work of our agents and the prosecution team at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, her days of defrauding others have come to an end.”
After being charged in September 2022 for defrauding Amazon, Hudson and Wortham lied about their charges being dismissed while out on bond by sending fake court documents bearing forged signatures—including that of former Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten Sr.—and doctored financial statements.
Wortham was previously sentenced to 16 years in prison followed by three years supervised release after pleading guilty; more than $3 million seized from bank accounts and assets were forfeited as fraudulent proceeds according to information presented during trial proceedings.
Sentencing for Hudson is scheduled for June 16 before Judge Michael L. Brown.
Theodore S. Hertzberg held his position as United States Attorney for this district during these proceedings according to the official website.
