Tifton man sentenced to prison in wire fraud case Federal Judge Hugh Lawson handed down the sentence. By Dave Miller | December 22, 2020 at 1:52 PM EST - Updated December 22 at 1:52 PM VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - A Tifton resident was entenced to prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud in a case involving U.S. Department of State contracts, said Peter Leary, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. Tony Mathis, 56, of Tifton, was sentenced on Dec. 16 by U.S. District Judge Hugh Lawson to 50 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud.