ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - According to the United States Department of Justice, two South Georgia inmates involved in a nationwide cell phone scheme were found guilty in federal court on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.

Joey Amour Jackson aka “Apes” along with Lance Riddle aka “C-Port”, both of Calhoun State Prison were found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The trial began on Jan. 5 before Senior U.S. District Judge W. Louis Sands in Albany.

The defendants both face a maximum of 30 years in prison for wire fraud and a maximum of 20 years in prison for money laundering, to be followed by three years of supervised release along with a $250,000 fine per count.

“Not even prison cells prevented these criminals from harming dozens of innocent people. Hopefully, this verdict will bring some level of comfort to the victims and prevent others from falling for similar scams, the FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners in not only addressing these types of inmate-based crimes but also in preventing inmates access to contraband cell phones that provide the means to do so much harm to the unsuspecting public,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown.

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