Former Correctional Officer Sentenced To Imprisonment for Accepting Bribes from Inmates

WAYCROSS, GA - Mathew Stone, 28, a former correctional officer from Kingsland, Georgia, was sentenced to 18 months in prison by Chief U. S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood for accepting a bribe from inmates at Correctional Institution D. Ray James, a privately operated facility which houses federal inmates through a contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, in Folkston, Georgia.

Stone pleaded guilty to one count of bribery for accepting $1,100 from inmates and their associates in exchange for cellphones, tobacco, and other contraband. According to court documents and statements made in court, Stone accepted money in 2015 for smuggling contraband items into Correctional Institution D. Ray James on multiple occasions.

Acting United States Attorney James Durham said, “This officer betrayed the public’s trust by using his official position to commit criminal acts. This U. S. Attorney’s Office will continue to hold accountable those public officials who abuse the public’s trust for their own greedy purposes.”

“This defendant joins a growing list of correctional officers across the United States who have been convicted in recent years for accepting bribes to help smuggle contraband into the federal prison system,” said Robert A. Bourbon, Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Office of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. “This kind of crime not only threatens the safety of other correctional officers, and inmates, it corrupts a system designed to rehabilitate inmates and educate them about the benefits of following the law.”

The case was investigated by special agents of the U. S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. Assistant U. S. Attorney Marcela C. Mateo prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For questions, please call the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 201-2522.