Lake County Woman And Federal Inmate Arrested For Smuggling Drugs Into Prison

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the arrest of Michelle Nicole Marie Brannon (36, Lake County) and Robert Hayes (46, Hillsborough County) on a federal indictment. Brannon is charged with one count of making a materially false statement or representation to a federal agency and one count of providing contraband to a federal prisoner. If convicted, she faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison. Hayes is charged with one count of possession of contraband by a federal prisoner. If convicted, Hayes faces a maximum of 5 years in federal prison.

According to the court records, Brannon and Hayes are brother and sister. On April 27, 2025, Brannon visited Hayes, an inmate at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County. As Brannon was being screened before the visitation, she made a materially false representation to a corrections officer that she did not have any narcotics in her possession. Subsequently, she was caught providing Hayes with buprenorphine, a Schedule III controlled substance. Federal inmates are prohibited from possessing controlled substances in the prison facility. 

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.