Two Georgia inmates sentenced for prison-run jury-duty scam and laundering conspiracy
The US Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia says Lance Riddle and Joey Amour Jackson, inmates at Calhoun State Prison, were sentenced to 200 and 120 months after a jury convicted them of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies. Prosecutors say the scheme caused more than $464,920 in documented losses from 119 victims.
The US Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia announced on 16 October 2026 that Lance Riddle was sentenced to 200 months in prison and Joey Amour Jackson to 120 months, each followed by three years of supervised release. Senior US District Judge W. Louis Sands held the sentencing hearings on 14 October. Both sentences run consecutively to any state sentence, and the court will set restitution within 90 days.
A jury found each man guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering after a five-day trial.
According to prosecutors, inmates at Calhoun State Prison, including Riddle and Jackson, used contraband cell phones and internet calling to phone victims from numbers that mirrored their local police departments. Posing as police officers, they told victims they had warrants for missing jury duty that could be cleared by paying a bond over the phone, usually by buying gift cards and reading out the card numbers, and sometimes by wire transfer.
Prosecutors say co-conspirators outside the prison managed the group's financial accounts, and the proceeds were used to pay personal debts, including house and vehicle loans, and to buy drugs. The release reports more than $464,920 in documented losses from 119 victims nationwide. The FBI investigated the case.
Why it matters to AML professionals
Government and police impersonation scams often turn victims' money into gift cards or wires that are then managed by people outside the core scheme, who move it into ordinary accounts. AML professionals can catch these schemes at two points: when a customer is buying gift cards or sending wires under pressure, and when an account starts receiving many small payments from unrelated people.
Red flags in this case
- A customer buys large amounts of gift cards in one visit or over a short period and says it is for a bond, fine or official payment
- A customer seems anxious or rushed and says they cannot discuss the payment with anyone
- An account receives many payments or transfers from unrelated people across different states with no clear business reason
- Incoming funds are quickly used to pay personal loans or are withdrawn, leaving little balance
If this landed in your queue
- Review whether the account receiving funds has many unrelated senders, and whether any of them have reported fraud or recalled payments
- Check who controls the account and whether the stated account purpose matches the incoming payments
- Map where the money goes next, such as loan repayments, cash withdrawals or transfers to linked accounts
- Document the pattern and escalate for a suspicious activity report, noting any link to impersonation or elder fraud typologies
Key terms
- Impersonation scam
- A fraud in which criminals pretend to be police, government or other officials to pressure victims into paying money.
- Conspiracy to commit money laundering
- An agreement between two or more people to carry out financial transactions with criminal proceeds, which is a crime even before every step is completed.
- Supervised release
- A period after a US federal prison sentence during which the person is monitored by a probation officer and must follow court conditions.
Interview angle
How might a scam run from inside a prison still show up in a bank's transaction monitoring?
Explain that the scammers still need accounts to receive and use the money. Mention outside helpers who control accounts, many small payments from unrelated victims, gift card purchases by victims, and fast use of funds for loan payments or cash.
Sources
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