Georgia inmate organized unemployment fraud scheme while behind bars. Here's what happened.

Feb. 14—How would an inmate go about organizing a fraud scheme while behind bars?

Well, Milledgeville, Georgia resident Jacob Garner can answer that.

Garner, 34, pleaded guilty on Feb. 9 for the theft of U.S. government funds while already serving time at Baldwin County Jail, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Chief U.S. District Judge Marc T. Treadwell sentenced Garner to 24 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

So, how did he do it?

He had a little help from his girlfriend, Lindsey Garner (née Quinton), 32, of Milledgeville.

A detective found messages sent between the two that discussed filing fraudulent claims, including unemployment insurance/pandemic unemployment assistance (UI/PUA) to the Georgia Department of Labor.

The duo attempted to get fraudulent loans for themselves and two other inmates; however only two claims totaling $24,105 were issued: $10,329 in Quinton's name and $13,776 in Garner's name.

They were caught because the IP address and mailing address were the same for all four claims (Quinton's former mailing address). Likewise, Quinton's personal email address was linked back to the crimes.

After finding the evidence, officers searched Garner's jail cell and found the Social Security numbers and dates of birth of several other inmates.

Quinton was sentenced to five years of probation.

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