September 14, 2018: Former Correctional Officer Jailed in Corruption and Bribery Conspiracy

Former Correctional Officer Jailed In Corruption and Bribery Conspiracy

Maryland State Prosecutor Emmet C. Davitt announced today that former Correctional Officer Warren Wright, a seventeen year veteran, was sentenced in the Arundel County Circuit Court after pleading guilty earlier to Bribery, Conspiracy to Distribute Narcotics, and Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine. To date, sixteen of the eighteen defendants indicted in December of 2017, in relation to their roles in a corruption and bribery conspiracy at the Jessup Correctional Institution, have plead guilty. The Honorable Mark W. Crooks imposed a sentence of 20 years, suspended all but three years, followed, upon Wright’s release, by five years of supervised probation.

According to the Statement of Facts presented during his guilty plea, Wright admitted to accepting cash bribes of at least $500 dollars per meeting to smuggle narcotics into the prison and had met with other members of the conspiracy at least forty (40) times over the course of the two (2) year conspiracy.

In an Impact Statement presented at sentencing, Wayne Hill, speaking on behalf of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, stated: “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.” Hill further stated that Wright “chose to violate his oath [of Office] by engaging in criminal behavior, thus betraying the trust of all with whom he worked”.

Davitt expressed his continued appreciation to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Maryland State Police, the Anne Arundel County Police Department and Deputy State Prosecutor Kelly Madigan for their work in making this case a success.

Secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Stephen T. Moyer commented: “We commend our partners in the State Prosecutor’s Office for a textbook prosecution to fight corruption in our prison. This is further evidence that if you are engaging in this behavior we will find you, arrest you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”