Former prison officer could face 15 years in prison for smuggling cigarettes into prison

A 26-year-old former U.S. Bureau of Prisons officer faces up to 15 years in federal prison for accepting money to smuggle cigarettes into the Three Rivers Correctional Institution.

Justin Matthew Gonzalez of Three Rivers, Texas, pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said Tuesday in a news release from Corpus Christi. Three Rivers is about 73 miles northwest of Corpus Christi.

“Gonzalez's selfish actions jeopardized the security of the federal prison,” Special Agent in Charge Cloey C. Pierce of the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General in the South Central South Region said in the press release.

Gonzalez admitted to receiving about $1,600 in bribes to smuggle cigarettes into prison. When he went to work in February 2021, authorities searched his bag and found 16 packs of cigarettes, the press release said.

U.S. District Judge David S. Morales will sentence Gonzalez on November 20. He faces up to 15 years in a federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Gonzalez was allowed to remain free on bail until the verdict is announced.

The Justice Department's Office of Inspector General investigated the case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lisa Collins and Carolyn Ferko.

“Public service is a public matter, especially for those who work in corrections and law enforcement,” Hamdani said. “The vast majority of these officers perform their duties with honesty and integrity. Yet we must root out any form of corruption or abuse in our federal prisons and hold accountable those who choose to break the law.”