A former Amazon manager described by prosecutors as the "mastermind" behind a nearly $10 million scheme to steal money from the online megaretailer using fake invoices has been sentenced to 16 years behind bars in federal prison.
Amazon Warehouse ops manager Kayricka Wortham – also known as "Kayricka Dupree" and "Kayricka Young" – pleaded guilty to fraud charges in the US on November 30, and allegedly committed more crimes while on release after posting bond.
According to
a judgment [PDF] filed today, Wortham must also pay restitution to Amazon in the amount of $9,469,731.45. In addition, the ring leader forfeited more than $2.7 million in fraudulent proceeds from multiple bank accounts; a home in Smyrna, Georgia (which she shared with girlfriend and co-conspirator Brittany Hudson); and vehicles (including a a 2019 Lamborghini Urus, a 2022 Tesla Model X, a 2018 Porsche Panamera, and a Kawasaki ZX636 motorcycle) purchased with the dirty money.
"The defendant abused her position of trust at Amazon to steal nearly $10 million from the company based on a brazen fraud scheme involving fake vendors and fictitious invoices," US Attorney Ryan Buchanan said in a
statement. "She then committed new crimes while on bond, even creating a fake dismissal document purporting to be from the court and that included the forged signature of the Chief US District Judge, all for the purpose of misleading a franchising company about the status of her criminal charges," he added.
