A 36-year-old former correctional officer was sentenced to 366 days in federal prison after pleading guilty to accepting bribes while employed at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. Shauna Boatright had been working with the United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, for nine years when the incident occurred. In late 2021, she was assigned to monitor an inmate participating in the Residential Drug Abuse Program. The former correctional officer informed the inmate that she was facing financial problems. Seizing this opportunity, she asked the inmate how she could make extra money.
Boatright agreed to accept bribes in exchange for smuggling tobacco into the prison for the inmate, a serious violation of federal prison regulations that prohibit inmates from possessing tobacco. She later accepted bribes to smuggle tobacco into the prison for a second inmate.
After the transactions, the inmates instructed their associates outside the prison to pay Shauna Boatright through CashApp. In under a month, she received a total of five CashApp payments amounting to almost $10,000.
Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General’s Chicago Field Office, William J. Hannah, expressed his concern that Boatright’s actions compromised her integrity and put her fellow correctional officers in danger by introducing contraband into the prison.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers for the Southern District of Indiana condemned Boatright’s actions, emphasizing that individuals who take oaths to enforce the law and protect those under their care must act with honesty and integrity. Boatright’s actions not only put her fellow correctional officers at risk but also jeopardized the health and safety of the inmates she was responsible for. Myers pledged that his office would work closely with the FBI and the DOJ – Office of Inspector General to eradicate corruption and exploitation in federal prisons.
The FBI and the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General’s Chicago Field Office jointly investigated the case, leading to Boatright’s sentencing. U.S. District Court Judge James P. Hanlon handed down the sentence with the additional requirement that the U.S. Probation Office supervise Boatright for two years following her release from federal prison. She must also pay a $500 fine.
Source: https://www.wthitv.com/news/former-guard-sentenced-for-sneaking-contraband-into-federal-prison-in-terre-haute/article_1722e622-7823-11ee-9e32-fb8bd6938f56.html