Ollie Rose III, Bribery and Smuggling, North Carolina 2020

A North Carolina prison official has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes to smuggle contraband to inmates at Caledonia Correctional Institution.

Ollie Rose III, 62, of Pleasant Hill, worked as a case manager at the state prison in Halifax County. He admitted to agreeing to use his position, from at least November 2018 through October 2020, to smuggle contraband — including oxycodone, marijuana, and synthetic cannabinoids — into the prison for inmates.

Rose further admitted that he did so in exchange for payments ranging from $500 to $1,200 and received more than $40,000 in total in bribes. He was paid both in cash and via a mobile application, and he sometimes also accepted a portion of the drugs he smuggled into the prison as payment.

Rose pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to use a facility in interstate commerce in furtherance of unlawful activity and one count of extortion under color of official right. A sentencing date has been scheduled for the September 7 term of court.

Rose faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case was investigated by the FBI, with significant assistance from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. Trial Attorneys Rebecca M. Schuman and Lauren E. Britsch of the Criminal Division's Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/prison-official-pleads-guilty-accepting-bribes-smuggle-contraband-inmates