Two Georgia Inmates Sentenced for Jury-Duty Scam Run From Prison
Posing as local police on smuggled phones, they told at least 119 people they faced arrest for missing jury duty unless they paid with gift cards.
Two Georgia prison inmates who used smuggled cellphones to pose as police officers and tell people they would be arrested for missing jury duty have been sentenced to a combined 26 years and 8 months in federal prison.
The scheme took more than $464,920 from at least 119 victims across the country, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia said on Oct. 16, 2026. Prosecutors say the true number of victims is likely much higher, because many people never report this kind of scam.
The sentences
Senior U.S. District Judge W. Louis Sands sentenced Lance Riddle, known as “C-Port,” to 200 months in prison and Joey Amour Jackson to 120 months at hearings in Albany on Oct. 14, 2026. Both terms run after any state sentence they are serving. The court will decide restitution, the money they must repay victims, in 90 days.
A jury convicted both men of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering on Jan. 9, 2026, after a five-day trial. Both were held at Calhoun State Prison, according to the office.
How the calls worked
The FBI in Columbus, Georgia, began investigating after police in Colorado, Florida, Virginia, Nevada, California, Ohio and other places reported the calls, according to prosecutors. Agents found that inmates at Calhoun, including Riddle and Jackson, were using contraband phones and internet calling to make their calls show up on caller ID as the victim’s local police department.
The callers said the victim had one or more warrants for missing jury duty and would be arrested immediately unless they paid a bond over the phone. They also told victims they were under a “gag” order and could not talk about the warrant until it was paid. Victims were almost always told to buy gift cards and read the numbers off the back, though some sent wire transfers.
Sometimes the callers used the names of real officers from the victim’s own town, prosecutors said. The scheme mostly targeted women in professional jobs with a strong online presence.
Some victims were then told to go to a Target store and record themselves undressing in a restroom for a supposed security check before going to the police station. Some later received sexually explicit messages and violent threats, according to the office. People outside the prison managed the group’s accounts, and the money went to car and house loans, other debts and drugs, prosecutors said.
How to spot the scam
Federal courts say they send jury summonses by U.S. mail and never demand payment or personal information over the phone. A fine for missing jury service can be imposed only after a court appearance where the person can explain, according to guidance from the federal judiciary, which also warns that scammers can make their numbers look like court or police numbers.
Anyone who gets a call like this should not give out any information, and should report it to the clerk’s office of their local federal district court and to local police, the guidance says.
Related: a man accused of posing as a 49ers player in a romance and investment scam.
