Amazon fraudster sentenced to over 16 years in US

Brittany Hudson, a resident of Atlanta, Georgia, has been sentenced to 16 years and 3 months in prison without the possibility of parole for her role as the ringleader in a massive fraud scheme targeting Amazon. The scheme defrauded the e-commerce giant of nearly $10 million (approximately 320 million New Taiwan dollars).

Prosecutors stated that Hudson and her accomplice, Kayricka Wortham, exploited their business relationship with Amazon. Between January and June 2022, they orchestrated a large-scale fraud by approving fabricated company data and submitting over 1,000 fake invoices. This allowed them to illicitly obtain approximately $9.4 million from Amazon.

Following their indictment in September 2022, Hudson and Wortham were released on bail. However, while awaiting trial, they allegedly attempted to commit further fraud by trying to establish a hookah lounge and scam potential franchisees. They also presented fake court documents, purportedly signed by former Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr., and Judge Norman L. Barnett, claiming the case had been dismissed. Hudson further submitted false financial statements, which ultimately led to the revocation of her pre-trial release.

The court ordered Hudson to pay $946,973.10 in restitution to Amazon. Additionally, authorities seized her luxury home, bank account funds, and over $7.85 million in assets. Wortham, the co-mastermind, was sentenced in June 2023 to 16 years and received an additional year in March 2026 for admitting to forging judge's signatures. She is also required to pay similar restitution and forfeit over $3 million in assets, including homes and vehicles.