(WEHT) – A former Bureau of Prisons correctional officer has been sentenced to one year and a day in federal prison after pleading guilty to accepting a bribe as a public official.
According to court documents, Shauna Boatright, 36, of Fisher, Illinois was employed with the United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons as a correctional treatment specialist in Terre Haute.
Officials state in late 2021, Boatright was assigned to monitor an inmate in the facility’s Residential Drug Abuse Program. Officials say Boatright told the inmate she was experiencing financial issues and asked him how she could make some money where Boatright agreed to take bribes to smuggle tobacco into the prison for the inmate.
Inmates are prohibited from possessing tobacco in federal prisons.
Officials say Boatright later took bribes to smuggle tobacco into the prison for a second inmate. After the inmates received the contraband, they directed their associates outside of the facility to transfer money to Boatright using CashApp, and state between September 30 and October 27, 2021, Boatright received five CashApp payments from the inmates’ associates totaling $9,800.
“The defendant took an oath to enforce the law and protect those in her care. Instead, she abused her position for her own financial gain—risking the health and safety of her fellow correctional officers and the facility’s inmates,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Public service is a public trust, especially for those entrusted with positions in corrections and law enforcement. The vast majority of corrections officers serve with honesty and integrity, and those who instead choose to break the law themselves must be held accountable. Our office is committed to working closely with the FBI and DOJ-OIG to root out all forms of corruption or abuse in our federal prisons.”
Special Agent of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General’s Chicago Field Office William J. Hannah stated, “We trust Federal Bureau of Prisons employees to conduct themselves with honesty and integrity. Ms. Boatright compromised her integrity for a bribe, and in the process, endangered her fellow Correctional Officers by introducing contraband into the prison.”
U.S. District Court Judge James P. Hanlon handed the sentence and also ordered Boatwright to be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for two years following her release and pay a $500 fine.
