FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

FRIDAY - January 6,2012

CORRECTIONS OFFICER PLEADS GUILTY

RALEIGH - United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court yesterday CLYON HINNANT, 39, of Raleigh, North Carolina, pled guilty for his role in a scheme to smuggle contraband into the Federal Correction Center in Butner, North Carolina. The maximum possible sentence that HINNANT faces is up to 35 years imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for April 13, 2012.

HINNANT pleaded guilty to a Criminal Information filed on November 21, 2011 charging HINNANT with accepting bribes, in violation of Title 18, Section 201 and conspiring to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, in violation of Title 18, Section 1349. The investigation revealed that from January, 2011, up to and including October, 2011, HINNANT was a Senior Corrections Officer at FCC-Butner. While HINNANT was employed there, a co-conspirator, who was an inmate at that facility, would have other inmates send money, via Western Union or the United States Postal Service, to co-conspirators in North Carolina and Virginia. These co-conspirators would deliver the money to HINNANT as bribes to HINNANT for him to smuggle contraband into FCC-Butner. This contraband included cigarettes and marijuana.

Investigation of this case was conducted by the United States Department of Justice - Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Rudy E. Renfer represented the government.