6 Indicted In Murder-For-Hire Plot Of Fulton Jail Officers

ATLANTA, GA — Six people are facing charges after justice officials said they conspired to kill two Fulton County Jail detention officers in exchange for money.

U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan's Northern District of Georgia office announced the charges Tuesday, saying those accused in the alleged murder-for-hire scheme are "known to be members of the GoodFellas gang."

Justice officials said Wayne Alford was a pretrial detainee at the Fulton County Jail-South Annex at the time of the alleged conspiracy. Alford was accused of conspiring with others both in and out of prison "to kill at least two detention officers who had interfered with his contraband and narcotics trafficking operations."

At the time, justice officials said Latasha Baker was a detention officer at the Fulton jail, while Matthew Freeman was serving a sentence for armed robbery at Valdosta State Prison. Freeman is also known as “Coach Poker,” “Pokerface Matt” and “Gotti Freeman,” justice officials said.

Both Baker and Freeman were accused of agreeing with Alford to hire people to kill the detention officers. Cell phones were used as a means of communication for the group inside the jail and prison, justice officials said.

According to justice officials, Carlos "Rico Reflection" Pearson and Jayden "Swipe" "El Swiper" Barnes agreed to kill the officers for $1,000 each. However, the suspected plot was thwarted when the officers found tracking devices attached to the bottom of their vehicles, justice officials said.

Jaheim "Slime" "Toppslime" Arnold was also accused in the scheme, though his particular alleged involvement is unknown.

A federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment on Oct. 22, justice officials said. The indictment was unsealed on Nov. 4.

Charges were as follows:

• Wayne Alford, 27, of Milledgeville: charged on suspicion of two counts of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, one count of drug trafficking conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to carry a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
• Matthew Freeman, 26, of Glennville: charged on suspicion of two counts of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, one count of drug trafficking conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to carry a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
• Latasha Baker, 38, of Hampton: charged on suspicion of two counts of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, one count of drug trafficking conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to carry a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
• Jaheim Arnold, 21, of Atlanta: charged on suspicion of two counts of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, one count of drug trafficking conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to carry a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. He was also charged with one count of possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime and one count of possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.
• Carlos Pearson, 33, of College Park: charged on suspicion of two counts of conspiracy to commit murder for hire.
• Jayden Barnes, 19, of Atlanta: charged on suspicion of two counts of conspiracy to commit murder for hire.

“These defendants demonstrated a callous disregard for human life when allegedly plotting to murder detention officers who threatened their illegal drug and contraband activity at the Fulton County Jail,” Buchanan said in a news release. “Our office is especially proud of the critical federal, state and local law enforcement partnerships that made this successful investigation and indictment possible. Prosecuting threats of violence against law enforcement officials during the performance of their duties is a top priority for the Department of Justice and those who engage in such offenses will be held accountable.”