Deldrick D. Jackson, 41, of DeKalb County, Georgia, is headed deeper into federal lockup after being slapped with an additional one year and six months behind bars for orchestrating a rogue inmate taxi service and contraband ring from within the walls of U.S. Penitentiary Atlanta. While serving a ten-year, eight-month sentence for cocaine distribution and money laundering, Jackson ran a for-profit escape network that shuttled inmates to restaurants, hotels, and homes—then brought them back like nothing had happened.
Working with his fiancée, Kelly M. Bass, 38, also of DeKalb County, Jackson exploited prison visitation privileges to help fellow inmates slip the cuffs—literally and figuratively. Between November 2016 and April 2017, the pair facilitated approximately 15 escape operations, charging up to $4,000 in total from inmates and their families for rides and smuggled goods. On January 28, 2017, Bass picked up Jackson and other fugitive inmates outside USP Atlanta, drove them to a nearby hotel, and returned them hours later—part of a brazen pattern that treated federal prison like a revolving door.
The operation came crashing down on April 13, 2017, when law enforcement stopped Bass’s SUV after she ferried Jackson from the prison to a fast-food joint. Inside the vehicle, cops found two cell phones, 83 packs of cigarettes, and eight bottles of whiskey—booty destined for the underground prison economy. Both were arrested on the spot, sealing their fates. Jackson later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to escape and escape from custody on May 16 and November 14, 2017, respectively; Bass copped to the same charges on June 5, 2017.
Jackson, already deep into a federal sentence for conspiring to distribute cocaine and launder money—crimes he was convicted of in May 2013—will now serve his additional 18 months consecutively. Bass wasn’t spared either: on September 13, 2017, she was sentenced to six months in prison followed by eight months of home confinement. Both were indicted on April 25, 2017, on multiple escape-related charges.
“Inmates who escape from prison threaten the safety of our communities and undermine our criminal justice system,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. ‘BJay’ Pak. “In this case, Jackson not only escaped from prison, but shockingly ran a contraband smuggling scheme and a for-profit taxi service for escaped inmates. To those inmates tempted to escape, when you are caught, the consequences will be severe.”
David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Atlanta Field Office, called the operation “audacious,” vowing that such breaches of custody won’t be tolerated. Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields added, “Prison is where criminals go to be punished, not a place to take joyrides and commit even more crimes.” The FBI and Atlanta Police Department led the investigation, shutting down a scheme that mocked the very idea of federal incarceration.
Related Federal Cases
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Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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