A former Citrus County correctional officer who accepted a cash bribe to smuggle a cellphone into a local detention facility is facing more than a decade in federal prison after entering a guilty plea.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced that 50-year-old Inverness resident Justin Harvey has pleaded guilty to acceptance of a bribe by a public official while working as a correctional officer at the Citrus County Detention Facility.
The privately operated jail, which is located at 2604 W Woodland Ridge Drive in Lecanto, is used to hold federal inmates while they await trial, sentencing, or designation to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
According to his plea agreement, Harvey agreed to bring a cellphone into the jail and give it to an inmate in exchange for a $4,000 cash payment. To facilitate the exchange, Harvey met with a colleague of the inmate to collect the money and the device.
However, the “colleague” was actually an undercover law enforcement agent.
After collecting the cash, Harvey wrapped the cellphone in saran wrap, smuggled it inside the facility, and delivered it to the inmate, who later handed the cellphone over to law enforcement.
Investigators stated that further analysis identified Harvey’s fingerprints on the tape that had been used to seal the phone.
“The introduction of contraband, like cellphones, into secure detention facilities presents a security risk to those both inside and outside the facility,” stated the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a press release.
As part of his plea agreement, Harvey has agreed to forfeit the $4,000 he received as a bribe. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison, though a sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, and Citrus County Sheriff’s Office.