St. Croix, USVI – Abdul Robinson, 39, of St. Croix, Virgin Islands, pleaded guilty today in federal court on St. Croix to providing contraband in prison and conflict of interest charges, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced.

On April 5, 2013, Robinson, then a correction officer at the Golden Grove Adult Correctional Facility, received a cellular telephone along with $100 from an undercover agent and agreed to deliver the telephone to an inmate housed at the facility. He delivered the telephone to the inmate who, unbeknownst to Robinson, was working as a government informant. It was contrary to Robinson’s duty to allow an inmate to possess contraband such as a cellular telephone or to deliver contraband to inmates.

Robinson faces up to one year of imprisonment and a fine of up to $100,000 for the offense of providing contraband in prison. He also faces a mandatory minimum period of imprisonment of one year up to a maximum of five years plus a fine of up to $5,000 for the conflict of interest offense. A sentencing date has been set for January 19, 2017.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alphonso Andrews, Jr.