Columbia, South Carolina --- United States Attorney Sherri A. Lydon announced today that Jamal Early, Frank Pridgeon, Miguel Williams,  Catherine Prosser, Holly  Mitchem, Robert Hill, Ebonynisha Casby, and Sharon Johnson Breeland, all former employees of the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC), have pleaded guilty in federal court to offenses associated with accepting bribes to smuggle contraband into SCDC facilities.

“Those who violate the public trust by taking bribes to smuggle dangerous contraband into our prisons endanger inmates, prison staff, and the general public,” said U.S. Attorney Lydon.  “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners at SCDC will not rest until we have rooted out the corruption in our prison system.”

“When a correctional officer brings contraband into an institution, it breaks a public trust and makes the institution and our state unsafe for everyone,” said Bryan Stirling, Director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections. “They deserve to spend time behind bars.”

The specific guilty pleas are as follows:

On September 19, 2019, Jamal Early pleaded guilty to Use of an Interstate Facility to Facilitate Bribery.  Facts presented in court showed Early, a former correctional officer at Ridgeland Correctional Institution, accepted bribes to smuggle tobacco and A-PVP (a synthetic narcotic) into prison.  He faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

On September 18, 2019, Frank Pridgeon pleaded guilty to Honest Services Wire Fraud.  Facts presented in court showed Pridgeon, a former correctional officer at Kershaw Correctional Institution, accepted bribes to smuggle cocaine, marijuana, tobacco, and cell phones into prison.  Pridgeon faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.On September 13, 2019, Miguel Williams pleaded guilty to Use of an Interstate Facility to Facilitate Bribery.  Facts presented in court showed Williams, a former correctional officer at Perry Correctional Institution, accepted bribes to smuggle tobacco and liquor into prison.  Williams faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

On September 13, 2019, Catherine Prosser pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana.  Facts presented in court showed Prosser, a former correctional officer at McCormick Correctional Institution, accepted bribes to smuggle marijuana into prison.  Prosser faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

On September 13, 2019, Holly Mitchem pleaded guilty to Use of an Interstate Facility to Facilitate Bribery. Facts presented in court showed Mitchem, a food service worker at Tyger River Correctional Institution, accepted bribes to smuggle tobacco and K2 into prison.  Mitchem and faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

On September 13, 2019, Robert Hill pleaded guilty to Use of an Interstate Facility to Facilitate Bribery.  Facts presented in court showed Hill, a horticulture specialist at Tyger River Correctional Institution, accepted bribes to smuggle marijuana, K2, tobacco, and cell phones into prison.  Hill faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

On September 10, 2019, Ebonynisha Casby pleaded guilty to Use of an Interstate Facility to Facilitate Bribery.  Facts presented in court showed that Casby, a correctional officer at Lieber Correctional Institution, accepted bribes to smuggle a watch and jewelry into prison.  Casby faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

On August 6, 2019, Sharon Johnson Breeland pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.  Facts presented in court showed that Breeland, a correctional officer at Broad River Correctional Institution, accepted bribes to smuggle methamphetamine into prison.  Breeland faces a maximum penalty of twenty years in federal prison.

 

These guilty pleas are the result of a partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Attorney’s Office, and SCDC to investigate the smuggling of contraband into prisons by staff at SCDC. The investigation has uncovered a number of SCDC employees who accepted bribes to smuggle into prison various contraband such as cell phones, narcotics, or tobacco. Previous recent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office of SCDC employees for these types of offenses have resulted in prison time for the offenders.

Assistant United States Attorney William Camden Lewis of the Columbia office is prosecuting the cases.

 

#####

Columbia, South Carolina-------United States Attorney Beth Drake announced the indictment and arrest of fourteen former employees of the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) on federal charges related to accepting bribes and bringing contraband into South Carolina prisons.

The federal violations include: Use of Interstate Facilities to Facilitate Bribery, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1952; Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud Depriving South Carolina of the Right to Honest Services, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349; and Possession with Intent to Distribute Narcotics, in violation 21 U.S.C. § 841.  

The individuals charged include: Rachel Burgess (age 39); Joshua Cave (age 29); Jamal Early (age 23), James Harvey (age 54), Douglas Hawkins (age 29), Robert Hill (age 53), Sharon Johnson-Breeland (age 29), Darnell Kleckley (age 33), Holly Mitchem (age 37), Frank Pridgeon (age 64), Catherine Prosser (age 60), Camille Williams (age 65), Miguel Williams (age 41), and Shatara Wilson (age 29).  All defendants were arraigned on their respective indictments today.

Since 2016, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has partnered with state law enforcement to investigate the smuggling of contraband into prisons by staff at SCDC. The investigation uncovered a number of SCDC employees who accepted bribes to smuggle into prison various contraband, such as cell phones, narcotics, or tobacco.  Additionally, joint investigations over the last year, targeting the use of contraband cell phones in our state prisons, have led to the federal convictions of multiple defendants in two other prosecutions in the upstate and most recently, just last week, in Columbia. See links below.

Inmate and Conspirator Convicted of Using Contraband Cellphone to Deal Drugs and Obtain a Mail Bomb from the Dark Web

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/inmate-and-conspirator-convicted-using-contraband-cellphone-deal-drugs-and-obtain-mail-0  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/USAO_SC/status/989170992755986432

Jury Convicts Spartanburg Brothers in Federal Court of Drug and Money Laundering Charges (sentencing hearing is scheduled for Friday, April 27th, 2018, at 9:30 am at the G. Ross Anderson, Jr. Federal Building United States Courthouse, 315 South McDuffie Street, Anderson, SC 29624)

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/jury-convicts-spartanburg-brothers-federal-court-drug-and-money-laundering-charges

Twitter: https://twitter.com/USAO_SC/status/953365064345702400

Fifteen Charged in Drug Trafficking Ring that Operated from Inside South Carolina Prisons

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/fifteen-charged-drug-trafficking-ring-operated-inside-south-carolina-prisons

This operation was a combined law enforcement effort by the FBI, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), SCDC, and U.S. Attorney’s Office.  U.S. Attorney Beth Drake commended the partnership:  “This operation signals our joint commitment to prosecute those who abuse their position for personal gain at the cost of the safety of our communities and prisons. If you have information about public employees and officials abusing their position, please contact the Columbia (South Carolina) FBI office at (803) 551-4200 or www.fbi.gov/tips.”

This case is assigned for prosecution to Assistant United States Attorney Jay Richardson and Assistant United States Attorney Will Lewis.

The United States Attorney stated that all charges in these indictments are merely accusations and that the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

 

#####