A former corrections officer pleaded guilty to accepting bribes in exchange for providing inmates with marijuana, tobacco and methamphetamine, which were then smuggled into the Floyd County Correctional Institution in Rome, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
Michael L. Jones, 31, of Chattooga County, pleaded guilty to conspiratorial drug trafficking and extortion under the color of official right, U.S. Attorney BJay Pak said in a news release.
According to authorities, Jones served as a Floyd County corrections officer from June 2017 to September 2019. The FCCI houses both state and county offenders, as well as employs inmates to work in the government and at the Rome/Floyd Recycling Center, Pak said. Jones used to supervise inmates who worked at the recycling center, the release noted.
“From that position, from approximately April to September 2019, Jones executed a conspiracy in which he collected contraband packages from the friends and families of prison inmates,” Pak said.
Jones usually charged $200 per package, which contained meth, marijuana and tobacco, and delivered them to inmates at the recycling center, authorities said. The inmates, who usually paid Jones via Cash App, would then smuggle the drugs into the prison, according to the release.
On Sept. 26, 2019, Jones planned to deliver packages to an inmate, Pak said. However, he was arrested after officers caught him with several packages containing tobacco and marijuana inside his boots. They also found three packages full of marijuana and more than 13 grams of meth in his vehicle, Pak said.
“Correctional officers across the state serve our citizens by faithfully executing their duties with integrity,” Pak said. “Jones, however, violated both the oath of his office and the law when he provided drugs to prison inmates. As a result, Jones must now account for his betrayal of trust.”
No sentencing date has been set.
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