Two Correctional Officers Plead Guilty To Conspiracy To Smuggle Contraband Into Baltimore Jail

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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Two correctional officers person pleaded blameworthy to their roles successful a racketeering conspiracy astatine the Chesapeake Detention Facility successful Baltimore, admitting they accepted bribes to smuggle contraband into the jail, according to a connection from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

Darren Parker, 45, from Baltimore, pleaded Monday. Talaia Youngblood, 35, of Randallstown, pleaded Oct. 13.

They and different employees, detainees and associates of the installation conspired to smuggle contraband, including narcotics, compartment phones and tobacco, into the facility, according to the statement. Parker and Youngblood further admitted they abused their spot arsenic officers to enrich themselves, the connection said.

Youngblood smuggled contraband starting successful 2017 for respective detainees, including 1 with whom she was romantically involved. Investigators successful April 2020 executed a hunt warrant astatine her location and recovered 35 grams of marijuana packaged for distribution, a integer scale, a grinder, $3,581 successful cash, a enactment from her spouse wrong the jail, 2 compartment phones, photos of detainees and day cards from detainees. according to the statement.

Parker admitted helium started smuggling contraband into the installation successful 2018. In February 2019, helium smuggled liquor wrong a h2o vessel and delivered it to a detainee arsenic a day present, according to a statement. He received astir $2,000 successful bribes from the detainee’s subordinate extracurricular the jailhouse via the Cash App, the connection said.

In March 2019, Parker met with that facilitator astatine North Front and Low streets successful Baltimore and received a integrative container containing a compartment phone, charger, Suboxone and baccy to beryllium smuggled to the detainee but was intercepted by investigators successful the facility’s parking batch the adjacent day. according to the statement.

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Parker and Youngblood each look a maximum of 20 years successful prison. Youngblood is scheduled to beryllium sentenced connected Dec. 21, and Parker is scheduled to beryllium sentenced connected Jan. 14.