Virginia Deputy Caught Smuggling Fentanyl, Cocaine to Jailed Inmate

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Former Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) deputy Robert Theodore Sanford Jr. pled guilty today to conspiring with an inmate at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center (Fairfax ADC) to traffic drugs in exchange for bribe payments.

According to court documents, from May 2021 to June 21, 2023, Sanford, 37, was a correctional officer at Fairfax ADC, where detainees arrested by FCSO, the Fairfax County Police Department, and federal agencies are held. During this time, Sanford smuggled contraband into Fairfax ADC and provided the contraband and confidential information to an inmate.

The contraband included a cell phone and distribution quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and Suboxone. Sanford also supplied latex gloves and glue to the inmate to help conceal the contraband. The inmate then trafficked the drugs to other inmates. Outside of Fairfax ADC, Sanford procured drugs from the inmate’s associates and distributed them to women who lived in and prostituted themselves out of an apartment he leased.

On May 4, 2023, FCSO deputies conducted a strip search of Sanford’s co-conspirator and found a stash of contraband, including a cellphone, counterfeit oxycodone pills, and over three grams of cocaine. The following day, Sanford was informed of the seizure during roll call and swiftly covered his tracks by deleting messages and removing his contact information from the CashApp account he used to receive bribe payments.

Sanford will remain detained until sentencing, which is scheduled for September 18. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each of two counts of conviction. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, with assistance from the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office. U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber and Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather D. Call are prosecuting the case.

Sanford’s actions demonstrate a shocking level of corruption and disregard for the law within the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office. As a correctional officer, Sanford had a duty to maintain order and uphold the law, but instead, he chose to profit from his position and enable the trafficking of deadly drugs within the jail.