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Thursday, August 21, 2025

Georgia Inmates Sentenced to Prison

Zanesville, OH - On Monday, August 18, Marquis Conner stood as the last defendant in a crew of Georgia prison inmates to be sentenced for a fraud scam that operated from within the Georgia Bureau of Prisons.

Judge Kelly Cottrill heard from Assistant Prosecutor John Litle, who handled the case and recommended a sentence of four years after Conner pled guilty to engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.

The offenders, which included an imprisoned rapper Emmitt Wells, Johnathan Ford, Chason Stein, and several others outside the Georgia prison system, targeted registered sex offenders across the country.

In possession of illegal phones within the prison system and posing as law enforcement, the group utilized the sex offender registry to call two men in Ohio. The group threatened the sex offenders with arrest if they did not transfer money to the inmates through the individuals assisting them from outside the prison system.

The case was reported to the Zanesville Police Department. Detective Sgt. Phil Michel then assembled an impressive, nationwide investigation, producing records from various companies such as Cashapp, Walmart and several phone companies. The records led Detective Michel to inside of the Georgia prison system. While investigating the suspects, Michel discovered music videos published online which appeared to show the conspirators making rap videos in the prison while in possession of drugs and other contraband.

APA Litle, in explaining the case, indicated that it appeared the in-prison fraud scheme has been going on for years, and the operation continues even as offenders come and go.



Defendants in the Case Include:

Emmitt Wells, 29, of Glennville, Georgia, who pled guilty to Engaging in a Pattern of Corrupt Activity. Wells was sentenced to an agreed sentence of three years in Ohio prison to be served after his release from prison in Georgia.

Johnathan Ford, 36, of Valdosta, Georgia, who pled guilty to Engaging in a Pattern of Corrupt Activity. Ford was sentenced to an agreed sentence of three years in Ohio prison to be served after his release from prison.

Chason Stein, 42, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, passed away from an illness prior to sentencing.

Julissa Casanas, 33, of Spring Hill, Florida, received a sentence of community control after pleading guilty to money laundering for processing payments for the crew.

Marquis Conner, 43, of Decatur, Georgia, requested to argue his sentence to Judge Cottrill. After a lengthy statement from Conner where he blamed the victims of his crimes for being scammed, Judge Cottrill sentenced Conner to four years in prison. Conner will also be required to pay $9,400 in restitution while he serves his felony sentence. The sentence began immediately as Conner had completed his previous sentence for Aggravated Robbery.



Prosecutor Ron Welch explained “When crimes are committed in Muskingum County the guilty should expect to be punished even when the victims are unpopular. Justice applies equally to everyone in our county.”

“Many communities are not blessed with investigators that have the horsepower to hunt down a case of this magnitude,” according to Assistant Prosecutor Litle. “It is extremely common for those who target Muskingum County residents for crimes to be shocked that they are caught and brought here for justice.”

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