FAYETTE — A Jefferson County Jail inmate with a smuggled cell phone was charged Wednesday with scamming the families of other inmates with the claim he could get the other inmates released early.

The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office reported Wednesday that inmate Jabarius Neal, 24, of Hazlehurst, allegedly contacted the families of inmates as part of the scam.

Neal allegedly posed as a public official — including a statewide elected official, state Rep. Gregg Holloway and a federal judge — and offered his victims a chance to have their family members released early or avoid jail time if they paid into a state program.

The program was actually a fraudulent fund, and Neal allegedly masterminded the effort to have the victims meet a third party and hand off cash or money orders.

One of the victims —who hoped to have his father entered into the fake program — videoed the one of Neal’s alleged co-conspirators picking up the money, the Attorney General’s office reported.Another Hazlehurst resident, Tiffany McVane, 37, has also been arrested and charged as a co-conspirator in the case for allegedly picking up $5,000 from a victim who hoped to have a family member released early.

McVane and Neal face up to five years in prison for each count and up to $10,000 fine for each count.

The matter remains under investigation, and additional arrests are expected.

Those who have been a victim of the scam can contact the Attorney General’s office at 1-800-281-4418.