A corrections officer at the federal penitentiary in Atlanta has been indicted on federal charges of accepting a bribe to provide cartons of cigarettes and a cell phone to an inmate and then lying about it to federal agents, the U.S. Attorney of the Northern District of Georgia announced Monday.

Kenneth Holsey, 45, of Riverdale, was arraigned on the charges Monday in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Justin Anand. Holsey entered a not guilty plea and was released on a $10,000 bond, according to federal prosecutors and court records.  Holsey was indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 27.

Holsey, a 20-year employee of the federal Bureau of Prisons, is accused of arranging last year to smuggle contraband to the inmate, who is identified in the indictment only by his initials, federal prosecutors said.  Holsey is charged with arranging for the payment of cash bribes via the inmate’s girlfriend, federal prosecutors said.

In early 2012, federal agents investigating Holsey recorded conversations between the guard and the inmate during which they discussed the possibility of smuggling in small amounts of marijuana, for which Holsey allegedly demanded payment in advance, federal prosecutors said.

U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said of the charges: “Public officials who use their positions for their own financial benefit breach the public’s trust. In this case, this corrections officer’s duties were to maintain the safety, security, and good order of Atlanta’s federal prison facility. Instead of fulfilling his duties, he allegedly abandoned his responsibilities in exchange for money, placing the safety of the prison staff, inmates, and the surrounding community at risk.”

Holsely is also accused of making false statements to a federal agent when he denied that he had been solicited or had provided the inmate with contraband and denied quoting prices to the inmate for his participation in the alleged marijuana-smuggling plan.

Holsey could face as much as 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 in convicted of the offenses.

Holsey’s attorney, Michael King of Jonesboro, said Tuesday that Hosley “maintains his innocence.” And, he added, “I don’t think a jury is going to have any problem finding him innocent based on what my investigation has found so far.” King declined to elaborate. He said he intends to file a motion for a speedy trial and hopes to have the case in front of a jury by early next year.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nekia Hackworth is prosecuting the case.

Contributor: R. Robin McDonald in Federal courts | subscribe to rss |   share