Jokelra Copeland, Accepting Bribes, Georgia 2019

ATLANTA, Georgia - Jokelra Copeland, a former corrections officer at Autry State Prison in Pelham, Georgia, has been convicted of accepting bribes to smuggle contraband, including illegal drugs, into the prison.

According to U.S. Attorney Byung J. Pak, Copeland conspired with inmates and other corrections officers to smuggle contraband into the prison within months of being hired in 2014. She was assigned to work the overnight shift at Autry State Prison.

Copeland was found to have accepted more than $13,000 in bribe payments from the family members of at least two inmates during a four-month period in mid-2015. Financial records showed that on at least eleven occasions bribe payments were sent to Copeland using international financial wire services.

The FBI investigation revealed that some corrections officers were willing to smuggle contraband into state prisons in exchange for bribes while other officers were willing to use their law enforcement credentials to protect drug deals occurring outside of the prisons.

Copeland, 32, of Doerun, Georgia, will be sentenced before U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg on May 1, 2019. In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.

Smuggling contraband into state prisons is a dangerous business that compromises the safety of everyone in the prison - inmates, corrections officers, and other employees. This type of conduct will not be tolerated, and this defendant will now be held accountable for her betrayal of the public trust.

Jokelra Copeland, Real Name: Jokelra Copeland, Age: 32, City: Doerun, State: Georgia, Charges: Accepting bribes to smuggle contraband, Date: May 1, 2019, Sentence: TBA, Amount: $13,000

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/former-georgia-department-corrections-officer-convicted-accepting-bribes-smuggle