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Prison Guard Smuggled Tobacco for Bribes
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A prison guard was accused of accepting bribes to smuggle tobacco into the Leavenworth penitentiary, where he worked.
Michael Harston, 52, of Kansas City, Mo., was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and four counts of accepting bribes, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
The indictment alleges that from October 2013 to August 2014, Harston took bribes to carry tobacco, which is contraband, into the penitentiary.
Payment was allegedly made via wire transfers from inmates’ relatives. Harston was caught on video surveillance in the process of distributing tobacco to inmates.
If convicted, Harston faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the conspiracy charge, and a maximum penalty of 15 years and a fine up to $250,000 on each of the bribery counts.
The FBI investigated the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Leena Ramana is prosecuting.
Other indictments included Justin A. Jacks, 26, of Wichita, Kan., charged with two counts of distributing child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Cruz Lopez-Perez, 39, a citizen of Guatemala, was charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported.
Luis Antonio Garcia-Gomez, 25, a citizen of Mexico, was charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. Cortez I. Mumford, 41, of Kansas City, Kan., was charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction.
Key Facts
- State: Kansas
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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