Inmate Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Crime

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Corey Michael Perkins, 34, an inmate, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute suboxone and methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 6, 2022, Perkins was an inmate at the Western Regional Jail in Barboursville when he spoke to another individual outside the jail during recorded phone calls about getting a package of suboxone and methamphetamine into the jail. Perkins admitted that he instructed the individual on how to prepare the package, paid an employee working at the jail to transport the package inside, and arranged a meeting between the outside individual and the employee. Perkins further admitted that he intended to distribute the suboxone and methamphetamine. The package was intercepted at the jail before it could be transported inside.

Perkins is scheduled to be sentenced on November 13, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.

Perkins conspired with Judy Ann Goodman, also known as Judy Ann Eplion, and Bryanna Danielle Kern. Goodman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute suboxone and methamphetamine on April 3, 2023. Goodman admitted to conducting the recorded jail phone calls with Perkins. Kern pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute suboxone on February 21, 2023. Kern admitted to conspiring with Perkins and Goodman while working as a kitchen employee at the Western Regional Jail. Goodman and Kern each await sentencing.

In an earlier case, Perkins pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute suboxone, methamphetamine, and fentanyl. In that case, Perkins admitted to coordinating with multiple individuals to get drugs into the Western Regional Jail from November to December 2020. Perkins was sentenced to 11 years and eight months in prison in that case on August 22, 2022.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the investigations section of the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (WVDCR).

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan Keefe and Courtney L. Finney are prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:22-cr-220. 

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