Kim Williams Sentenced in FCI Petersburg Bribery Scheme

Kim Williams, 57, of Baltimore, Maryland, has been sentenced to 45 months in federal prison for orchestrating a bribery scheme that flooded Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Petersburg with contraband, including drugs, cellphones, and cash. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak, marks a critical blow against a criminal network embedded deep within the federal prison system.

Court records reveal Williams facilitated over $60,000 in bribes—delivered via wire transfers and untraceable cash—to former BOP officers Stephen Taylor, 49, of Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Shanice Bullock, 28, of South Hill, Virginia. In exchange, the officers smuggled in Suboxone, marijuana, heroin, cigarettes, and cellular phones, enabling a sprawling underground economy inside the facility. Williams’s son, Dontay Cox, 38, an inmate at FCI Petersburg from January 2014 to July 2019, ran a gambling ring and distributed the illicit goods to other prisoners.

Between December 2016 and September 2019, Williams’s bank accounts received deposits totaling $137,855.29. Of that, $94,961.39 came in the form of untraceable cash—a red flag investigators say underscores the brazen nature of the operation. Authorities believe the funds originated from prison-based gambling and drug sales, funneled through family members and associates on the outside.

The scheme unraveled as part of a broader FBI and DOJ Office of the Inspector General investigation into corruption at FCI Petersburg. Taylor and Bullock have already pleaded guilty to their roles and await sentencing. The case exposes systemic vulnerabilities in federal prison oversight, where underpaid staff and lax screening procedures can be exploited by determined criminal networks.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, called the operation a “betrayal of public trust,” emphasizing that prison staff who accept bribes endanger both institutional safety and community security. “Contraband fuels violence, addiction, and further crime inside and beyond prison walls,” Aber stated. “We will hold enablers accountable—inside the system and out.”

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Simon Jr. and Michael C. Moore prosecuted the case. Court documents, including Case No. 3:20-cr-125, are available through the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and PACER. The U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to investigate additional participants in the smuggling ring.

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