January 14, 2019: Eighteen of Eighteen Defendants Plead Guilty to their roles in a Corruption and Bribery Conspiracy
Maryland State Prosecutor Emmet C. Davitt announced today that former Correctional Officer Phillipe Jordan, Jr. was sentenced on Friday, January 11, 2019, to a ten (10) year sentence suspend all but three and a half (3.5) years and five (5) years of supervised probation by the Honorable Mark W. Crooks for his guilty plea to bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery.
Jordan was arrested on October 22, 2017 shortly after meeting with the twin sister of an inmate incarcerated at the Jessup Correctional Institution (JCI) and receiving a two thousand dollar ($2,000.00) bribe to smuggle heroin, suboxone strips, synthetic marijuana, tobacco, and nine (9) cellular telephones into JCI.
Jordan’s sentencing marks the final proceeding in a two (2) year investigation and prosecution of bribery and corruption within Maryland’s correctional facilities, which led to the arrest and prosecution of eighteen defendants.
Also charged was Former Correctional Officer Warren Wright, who was sentenced on September 13, 2018 to twenty (20) years suspend all but three (3) years and five (5) years of supervised probation by the Honorable Mark W. Crooks. In sentencing Jordan and Wright, Judge Crooks commented on the need to send a message of deterrence as corruption strikes at the heart of the criminal justice system.
Jordan’s sentencing marks the final disposition of all eighteen (18) defendants. All defendants pled guilty in the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County in relation to their respective roles in the conspiracy.
Defendants, who were incarcerated at during the time of the conspiracy, were Tyrone Johnson, Kevin Cooper, Dante Bruce, Dwayne Gaffney, Jabraiyl Hale, and Duane Dundas. Each incarcerated defendant pled guilty to their role in the conspiracy in exchange for consecutive time to their underlying sentences.
Other defendants were outside facilitators, who served as intermediaries between the correctional officers and the inmates, were Travis Johnson, Marquis Johnson, Kiana Littlejohn, Latoya Carmichael, Thelma Powers, Karisma Ashford, **redacted**, Seingwaeng Hammond, Donya Bruce, and Raenice Board.
Davitt expressed his continued appreciation to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the Maryland State Police, and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for their work in making these cases a success; “this is an excellent example of collaboration between different law-enforcement agencies to make a successful prosecution.”