Inmate, Fiancée Ran Scheme To Help Prisoners Escape: Prosecutors

ATLANTA, GA -- A federal inmate and his fiancée were arraigned Thursday on charges of coordinating a plan to help inmates escape from the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta.

Federal inmate Deldrick D. Jackson and Kelly Bass of DeKalb County were arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Janet King.

The pair were indicted last month on charges of conspiracy to escape custody and escape charges. Bass was also indicted on one count of assisting escape, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia said.

"Inmates who escape from custody present a threat to the safety of the citizens in the area," said U. S. Attorney John Horn. "Safety concerns also arise when inmates return with contraband to feed a thriving black market.”

In May 2010, Jackson was convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and launder money. Between July 2016 and April of this year, he was assigned to the U.S. Penitentiary's minimum security camp in Atlanta. According to prison visitation records, Jackson listed Bass as his fiancée.

The indictment outlines that between November 2016 and April, the pair worked to help inmates who escape from the camp with transportation in exchange for a fee. In one such instance, Bass allegedly picked up Jackson and other escaped inmates on Jan. 28, drove them to a nearby hotel and returned the inmates to USP Atlanta.

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Financial records show that Bass received roughly $4,000 from accounts associated with USP Atlanta inmates or their families during this six-month period, the U.S. Attorney's Office states.

On April 13, Jackson escaped from the camp again, and Bass picked him up and drove him away from the institution.

Officers made a stop on the SUV occupied by Bass and Jackson and after conducting a search, they recovered two cell phones, a box filled with cigarette packs and several bottles of alcohol, "which is consistent with contraband that is smuggled back into the prison," office added.

The case remains under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Atlanta Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey W. Davis and Timothy H. Lee are prosecuting the case.

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