BALTIMORE — A correctional dietary officer and two others pleaded guilty to federal charges related to Maryland Correctional Institute Jessup.
Officials say Patricia McDaniel, 26, and Tyirisha Johnson, 23 both pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges and India Parker, 33, pleaded guilty to a drug distribution conspiracy for participating in a scheme to smuggle contraband.
Contraband included narcotics, unauthorized flash drives, tobacco and cell phones into the prison.
According to their plea agreements, McDaniel, Johnson and Parker conspired with inmates and others to smuggle contraband into MCIJ.
McDaniel admitted that she abused her position of trust as a sworn officer by soliciting and receiving bribes. Johnson and Parker both admitted that as outside facilitators they managed the proceeds of illegal contraband sales for specific inmates, obtained contraband including, but not limited to, Suboxone strips, Percocet, MDMA, K2, and tobacco from additional co-conspirators, and provided the contraband and bribe payments to MCIJ employees and contractors to smuggle into the prison.
As detailed in her plea agreement, in order to smuggle contraband into the facility, McDaniel often entered on weekends and hid the packages on herself to avoid detection.
Once in the facility, she would deliver the packages and be compensated in either cash or Paypal MyCash.
McDaniel, Johnson and Parker were all overheard by law enforcement on a series of recorded calls arranging for contraband to be smuggled into MCIJ and arranging payment for the contraband and for bribes.
McDaniel, Johnson and Parker each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on September 20 and Parker and McDaniel were scheduled to be sentenced on October 2.
