Federal Inmate Ran Taxi Service For Fellow Escapees

ATLANTA, GA — A federal inmate has been sentenced to extra time after escaping, then running a taxi service, of sorts, for other escaped inmates.

Deldrick D. Jackson, 41, of DeKalb County, also ran a contraband smuggling operation with his fiancee, Kelly Bass, according to federal prosecutors. He was sentenced Friday to an additional one year, six months in prison for the crimes.

In May 2013, Jackson was convicted in federal court of conspiring to distribute cocaine and conspiring to launder money. He was housed at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta from July 2016 to April 2017. Starting around November 2016, Jackson and Bass began providing escaped inmates with transportation from the prison to nearby restaurants, hotels or homes.

For example, on Jan. 28, 2017, Bass picked up Jackson and other escaped inmates from outside the penitentiary, drove them to a nearby hotel and, hours later, returned them to USP Atlanta. During the conspiracy, they also smuggled contraband into the prison to be sold to other inmates.

Finally, on April 13, 2017, Bass drove Jackson from USP Atlanta to a local fast food restaurant. Law enforcement officers stopped her vehicle and arrested the couple — recovering two cell phones, 83 packs of cigarettes and eight bottles of whiskey.

In total, prosecutors say, Jackson and Bass gave rides to inmates or smuggled contraband into the prison 15 times. They received about $4,000 from the inmates or their families in exchange for the rides and the contraband.

Jackson's additional year and a half will be served after he completes his current 10-year, eight-month sentence. He pleaded guilty in May and November to conspiracy to escape from custody and escape from custody.

Bass, 38, was sentenced in September to six months in prison, followed by eight months of home confinement.

The FBI and Atlanta Police Department investigated this case.

"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. "To those inmates tempted to escape, when you are caught, the consequences will be severe."

"Prison is where criminals go to be punished, not a place to take joyrides and commit even more crimes," added Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields. "I’m proud that our team worked closely with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to ensure this activity was put to a stop."

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey W. Davis and Timothy H. Lee prosecuted the case.

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