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Former Fairfax County Deputy Pleads Guilty to Conspiring with Inmate to Traffic Narcotics
A former Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been convicted of conspiring with an inmate to traffic narcotics in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. Robert Theodore Sanford Jr., 37, pleaded guilty to two counts of conviction in federal court, one of which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
According to court documents, Sanford provided the inmate with a cell phone, distribution quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and Suboxone, as well as latex gloves and glue to conceal the contraband. The inmate then trafficked the drugs to other inmates. Sanford also supplied the inmate with confidential, law-enforcement-sensitive information, including advance warning of cell searches by deputies.
Outside 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 that Sanford leased. FCSO deputies at Fairfax ADC conducted a strip search of Sanford’s co-conspirator in May 2023, discovering a cellphone, counterfeit oxycodone pills, and other contraband.
Sanford removed his cash tag name and personal email address from the CashApp account he used to receive bribe payments for smuggling contraband into Fairfax ADC after learning of the seizure. He stopped sending messages and making calls to the inmate and other conspirators and deleted related messages within two weeks of FCSO discovering the contraband. Sanford began the process of resigning from his job, citing childcare challenges.
A federal district court judge will determine Sanford’s sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather D. Call is prosecuting the case. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Jessica D. Aber, FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott, and Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey A. Kincaid made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. accepted the plea.
Sanford will remain detained until sentencing, which is scheduled for September 18. The case highlights the corrupting influence of power and the devastating consequences of narcotics trafficking within our nation’s correctional facilities.
Related court documents and information are located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. A copy of this press release is also available on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website.
This case is a sobering reminder of the critical need for law enforcement agencies to remain vigilant in their pursuit of justice and to protect the public from the scourge of narcotics trafficking.
The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI are to be commended for their tireless efforts in bringing this case to justice.
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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