An Alabama corrections officer was sentenced Wednesday after she tried to smuggle methamphetamine into a federal prison in Atlanta where her fiancé was serving time in 2019, officials said Friday.
Her fiancé faces even more time behind bars.
Jennifer Deramus, 53, who was found guilty in November, was sentenced to five years in prison, followed by four years of supervised released, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, attempting to provide a prohibited object to a federal inmate, and aiding and abetting a federal inmate’s attempt to obtain a prohibited item.
Her fiancé, 45-year-old Julius Stoudemire, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty in November to one count of attempting to obtain a prohibited object as a federal inmate.
“Introducing contraband into a federal prison endangers the safety and security of inmates, guards and visitors alike,” said U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Ryan Buchanan. “Jennifer Deramus, a correctional officer, was uniquely positioned to know those dangers and now faces significant prison time of her own.”
Stoudemire was being housed at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta when Deramus, a longtime corrections officer at a county jail in Prattville, Alabama, came to visit him in June 2019, Buchanan said. Stoudemire was serving time for conspiracy to defraud the United States and other charges, court records show.
Returning from the restroom in the visitors’ area, Deramus carried a cylindrical package back to her seat across from her fiancé, Buchanan said. A guard watching over the area thought the two were acting unusual and sent another guard to take a closer look.
The package was confiscated, and Buchanan said laboratory testing revealed that it contained meth. Authorities said Deramus then made false statements to an FBI agent about the incident.
“Maintaining the secure environment of federal correctional facilities is key to the safety of staff, inmates and the effort to deter future criminal conduct,” Special Agent of FBI Atlanta Keri Farley said.
About the Author
