A former correctional officer is going to be spending more time in jail, but this time on the other side of the bars.
Warren Wright, a 17-year veteran, was sentenced to three years in prison on Friday after pleading guilty to bribery, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
Wright is one of 18 former officers that were indicted in December of 2017 for their roles in a corruption and bribery conspiracy at the Jessup Correctional Institution. To date, 16 of the 18 people indicted have pleaded guilty.
According to a statement in his guilty plea, Wright admitted to accepting cash bribes of at least $500 per meeting to smuggle narcotics into the prison. He had at least 40 meetings, meaning he made a minimum of at least $20,000 over the course of two years.
In an Impact Statement made during the sentencing, Wayne Hill, speaking on behalf of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services said, "Criminal behavior [such as Wright's] damages the public perception of DPSCS and undermines our mission, and that mission is to protect the public, our employees, detainees, and offenders under our supervision."
