Beaumont, Texas — A Jefferson County jail supervisor has been found guilty of smuggling a cell phone to one of Mexico’s most notorious drug lords behind bars. Donald Roy Kelly, 43, of Beaumont, Texas, was convicted by a federal jury on charges of providing a prohibited object to a prisoner and bribery of a public official following a three-day trial in the Eastern District of Texas.
Kelly, an evening shift supervisory corrections officer at the LaSalle Unit — the downtown Jefferson County jail — used his authority to corruptly assist imprisoned Gulf Cartel leader Juan Saenz-Tamez in late 2014 and early 2015. Saenz-Tamez, held at the facility pending trial on federal drug trafficking charges, was offered a cell phone by Kelly in exchange for money, according to evidence presented in court.
The scheme unfolded under Kelly’s direction: another individual purchased the phone and handed it to Kelly, who then delivered it to Saenz-Tamez. In addition to the device, Kelly arranged for fast food to be brought into the jail for the inmate. Payments were attempted through third parties, with money transfers initiated to compensate Kelly for his criminal acts.
The operation unraveled when the cell phone was seized from Saenz-Tamez on January 3, 2015 — a critical break that led to a federal investigation. By April 2016, a grand jury indicted Kelly on federal charges. The trial, presided over by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone, concluded with a guilty verdict delivered around 6:30 p.m. on December 14, 2016.
Under federal law, Kelly now faces up to 15 years in prison. While the maximum sentence is set by Congress, the actual term will be determined by the court, guided by advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the U.S. Probation Office completes a presentence investigation.
The case was jointly investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Craft and Christopher T. Tortorice led the prosecution, sealing a conviction that exposes the rot that can fester inside local lockups when power meets greed.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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