Lake County Woman Pleads Guilty To Making False Statements And Smuggling Drugs Into Federal Prison

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Michelle Nicole Marie Brannon (36, Lake County) has pleaded guilty to one count of making a materially false statement or representation to a federal agency and one count of providing contraband to a federal prisoner. She faces a maximum of five years in federal prison on each of the offenses. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the court records, on April 27, 2025, Brannon visited her brother, 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 correctional officer that she did not have any narcotics in her possession. Subsequently, she was caught providing her brother with buprenorphine, a Schedule III controlled substance. Federal inmates are prohibited from possessing controlled substances in the prison facility. 

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.