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State Prisoners Pull Off A Half Million Scam — And Apparently They Were Very Persuasive!

If you ever thought the only thing inmates could hustle from behind bars was a contraband ramen recipe, think again! 

Two men behind bars at Calhoun State Prison have just been convicted of running an old-fashioned — if unusually industrious — nationwide phone scam while serving time. 

The punchline? 

It lasted long enough to amass $464,920 in documented losses from more than 100 victims. 

That’s a lot of gift cards, a lot of phone minutes, and apparently very persuasive “you’re under arrest” voice acting.

On Jan. 9, 2026, a federal jury in Albany found Joey Amour Jackson (aka “Apes”) and Lance Riddle (aka “C-Port”) guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. 

Their trial, which began Jan. 5 before Senior U.S. District Judge W. Louis Sands, revealed a scheme that preyed on a very particular kind of panic: the fear of an official-sounding voice saying you missed jury duty and now owe bail.

According to court documents, victims were told they had warrants for failing to appear for jury duty and were under “gag” orders preventing them from discussing the matter. 

The only way out, the callers intoned, was to “post bond” — via gift cards. 

Victims were instructed to buy cards, read the numbers off the back for verification, and then go to local police departments to confirm the transaction. 

The FBI and DOJ say the ruse worked on over 100 people nationwide.

Let’s pause for a second to appreciate the absurd logistics here. 

Nearly half a million dollars. Over 100 victims. 

Gift cards don’t grow on trees — unless the trees are suspiciously well-stocked chain stores. 

Even if every victim contributed a relatively modest $4,600 on average (give or take, because yes, math), it still implies sustained, patient enterprise. 

Running a grift that nets that much while you’re locked in a cell is less “get-rich-quick” and more “get-rich-steadily-and-very-creatively.”

The Department of Justice’s description of the scheme read like a dark parody of civic duty: the scam leveraged that uniquely American blend of bureaucratic dread and trust in uniformed authority. 

People panic when told a warrant awaits; they panic more when told they can’t tell anyone. 

And so the scamsters — conveniently shielded from day-to-day consequences by concrete and guard towers — dialed, conned, and collected.

The penalties for the pair are severe on paper: each faces a possible maximum of 30 years for wire fraud and 20 years for money laundering, followed by three years of supervised release and $250,000 fines per count. 

In other words, if federal judges decide to follow the statutory ceiling, the “long con” could turn into a very long stay indeed!

FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown didn’t mince words after the verdict: 

“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.”

That last line is the sting: contraband phones. 

You don’t need Silicon Valley-level tech to run a nationwide hustle; you apparently need a handful of prepaid minutes, a believable script, and people willing to believe the official-sounding man on the other end. 

The other stinging thought? 

That this sort of operation — patient, organized, and nationwide — ran undetected long enough to net nearly half a million dollars without detection.

There’s something grotesquely efficient about it... 

Behind bars, where time is supposed to be paid back in penance, these inmates found a way to convert boredom and access into a steady income stream — at everyone else’s expense. 

It’s a reminder that scams don’t need grandeur to succeed; they need patience, fear, and a willingness from crooks to exploit both.

Maybe the next time someone gets a jittery call about jury duty, they’ll hang up — and maybe they’ll chuckle at the surreal notion that two men in prison managed to build a phone scam empire from their cells. 

It’s absurd. It’s criminal. And evidently, it can be lucrative enough to make you pause and wonder who’s really just doing their time.


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#PrisonPhoneScam #CalhounConArtists #JoeyAmourJackson #LanceRiddle #ApesAndCPort #JuryDutyScam #GiftCardFraud #ContrabandPhones #FBIAtlanta #WireFraudConviction #MoneyLaundering #WLouisSands #NearlyHalfAMillion #ScamEconomics #JusticeAndIrony

Sources Summary

  • Department of Justice / federal court reporting on convictions of Joey Amour Jackson and Lance Riddle (Jan. 9, 2026 verdict; trial began Jan. 5, 2026).

  • WALB reporting from Albany, Ga., summarizing the scheme and outcomes.

  • Quote and commentary from FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown regarding inmate-operated scams and contraband cell phones.

  • Court documents detailing charges (conspiracy to commit wire fraud; conspiracy to commit money laundering), documented losses of $464,920, and victim impact (100+ victims nationwide).

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