A former Fulton County Jail detention officer was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday for attempting to smuggle marijuana, three cellphones and cigarettes to an inmate in exchange for $26,000 in bribes.
Brian Shelby Anthony, who pleaded guilty to the charges in January, is the fourth former Fulton County Jail employee to be convicted of bringing in contraband for a price.
“This former law enforcement officer sold his badge over and over again without any regard for his oath of office or the public’s safety," U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said. "He took advantage of his position to make money accepting bribes to deliver marijuana and other contraband to inmates and to put cocaine on the streets of Atlanta."
Anthony, 31, will spend another four years on supervised release after he finishes his prison time.
The charges against Anthony came out of an undercover FBI investigation that started in the jail. Anthony was detected bringing in drugs and cellphones and eventually agreed to help protect cocaine deliveries on the streets. On Feb. 18, 2010, Anthony accepted $950 to deliver an ounce of marijuana, four cellphones and cigarettes to an inmate. The next day, Anthony took $1,000 to smuggle in some marijuana, three more cellphones and cigarettes to the same inmate.
Over the next few weeks an undercover agent talked with Anthony about providing protection for cocaine deliveries outside the jail. He took $25,0000 from the undercover agent to offer protection, while in uniform, for three drug transactions in May and June. Federal agents said multiple kilograms of cocaine were sold in deals in Atlanta, Lawrenceville and Norcross, and Anthony was involved in all of them.
Other cases against former Fulton County Sheriff's Office employees include:
- Former detention officer Akil Scott, 32, of Atlanta, who pleaded guilty on Nov. 29, 2011, to two counts of attempted possession with the intent to distribute cocaine inside the county jail and two counts of extortion for accepting $650 to smuggle drugs into the jail. Scott is to be sentenced Friday.
- Former deputy Marvie Trevino Dingle, Jr., 34, of Lithonia, who pleaded guilty on Nov. 8, 2011, to two counts of attempted possession with the intent to distribute cocaine inside and outside the county jail and two counts of extortion for accepting more than $2,000 to smuggle drugs into the jail and to protect a drug transaction outside of the jail. Dingle is to be sentenced April 3.
- Former detention officer Derick Deshun Frazier, of Stockbridge, who pleaded guilty Oct. 24, 2011, to one count of extortion for accepting $300 to smuggle mobile telephones into the county jail. Frazier was sentenced Jan. 11 to six months in prison and two years on supervised release.
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