Chesapeake Sheriff’s Deputy Arrested for Smuggling Heroin into Jail

NORFOLK, Va. – A Chesapeake Sheriff’s Deputy was arrested this morning on charges related to his role in smuggling heroin into the Chesapeake City Jail.

According to allegations in the indictment, from July 2017 through January 2019, Jenis Leroy Plummer, Jr., 35, as a Chesapeake Sheriff’s Deputy at the Chesapeake City Jail, conspired with conspirators to smuggle heroin and other contraband into the Chesapeake City Jail. The indictment alleges that on Oct. 19, 2018, Plummer drove to a cul-de-sac on Horse Run Drive in Chesapeake and picked up a package containing contraband that a conspirator had left for him to retrieve. On that same day, Plummer used his position as a Chesapeake Sheriff’s Deputy to smuggle the contraband to an inmate in the jail. Plummer used his position as a Chesapeake Sheriff’s Deputy to obtain funds that he was not entitled to receive.

The Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office has provided significant assistance and full cooperation during the investigation.

Mr. Plummer is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin, conspiracy to obtain property under color of official right, and a separate count of obtaining property under color of official right.  If convicted of all counts in the indictment, he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Martin Culbreth, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph DePadilla and Melissa E. O’Boyle are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-25.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.