Ex-Correctional Officer Gouldean Sentenced for Extortion, Smuggling

RALEIGH — Gregory Dustin Gouldean, a former sergeant in North Carolina’s High Security Maximum Control Unit at Polk Correctional Institution, has been sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for extorting funds from inmates and smuggling contraband items.

Gouldean, aged 33, was employed as a correctional officer at Polk from 2005 until May 2015. He rose through the ranks to become a sergeant, supervising the HCON unit, North Carolina’s supermax prison for violent offenders, from 2012 to 2014.

During his tenure, Gouldean exploited his position to arrange the delivery of tobacco, marijuana, cell phones, and batteries to HCON inmates in exchange for electronic transfers or cash. He used his supervisory authority to meet with inmates alone, facilitating his illegal activities without witnesses.

The investigation into Gouldean was part of a broader probe prompted by a kidnapping conspiracy at Polk Correctional Institution. Gouldean continued smuggling contraband after being transferred out of HCON in 2014.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dennis Duffy and Leslie Cooley prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The sentence handed down today marks a victory for law enforcement in the ongoing battle against corruption within correctional facilities.