BALTIMORE, MD – Lynette Carlest, 49, of Baltimore, has confessed to her role in a sprawling racketeering conspiracy that funneled narcotics, cell phones, and other illegal goods into the Chesapeake Detention Facility (CDF). The guilty plea, entered yesterday, exposes a network of corruption within the walls of the Baltimore jail and the individuals willing to profit from it.
According to court documents, between 2018 and March 11, 2019, Carlest acted as a financial facilitator for a CDF detainee, managing the money used to bribe correctional officers. The scheme involved using a mobile monetary transfer application to discreetly funnel payments to those willing to look the other way. At least four payments of $800 or more were traced to Darren Parker, a CDF correctional officer, in exchange for his complicity.
The details are grim. Carlest personally delivered contraband to Parker on multiple occasions. On March 10, 2019, she handed him a cell phone, charger, suboxone, and tobacco – a deadly combination within prison walls – destined for the detainee. The following day, Parker attempted to smuggle the items into CDF, but was intercepted by law enforcement in the parking lot. The detainee, using a contraband cell phone *inside* the jail, immediately contacted Carlest to inform her of Parker’s arrest.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. Carlest is just one piece of a larger puzzle of corruption at CDF. Correctional officers Darren Parker, 45, of Baltimore, and Talaia Youngblood, 35, of Randallstown, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy on October 18 and 13, 2021, respectively, admitting to accepting bribes for similar services. Jasmine Coleman, 29, of Baltimore, also pleaded guilty on October 25, 2021, for arranging bribes and delivering contraband for a different detainee.
Carlest now faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the racketeering conspiracy. U.S. District Judge George L. Russell has scheduled her sentencing for February 9, 2022, at 11 a.m. The investigation, a joint effort by the FBI, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS), and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, underscores the ongoing battle against corruption within the correctional system.
U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the collaborative efforts of the DPSCS and FBI, highlighting their dedication to rooting out corruption. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter J. Martinez and Harry M. Gruber are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office can be found at www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption|Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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