Major indictments have swept through Jessup Correctional Institution, as ten individuals, including correctional officers and inmates, have been caught up in three separate contraband smuggling scandals, according to Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown's office, with details emerging from a report by CBS News Baltimore.
In the first busted operation, Sergeant Awungjia Rita Atabong stands accused of smuggling a cornucopia of drugs into the correctional facility for inmates to maintain her lavish lifestyle funded by the payouts amounting to thousands and on July 14, a subsequent search at Atabong's home in Anne Arundel County led to the discovery of a staggering variety of drugs ready for prison delivery, with officials recounting the seizure of 200 fentanyl and methamphetamine pills, 7,911 MDMA pills, and other substances, "We trust correctional staff to keep prisons safe – not smuggle contraband to the people they supervise," Attorney General Brown stated, as detailed by FOX Baltimore, asserting that the justice system would hold accountable those who use their public servant positions to endanger prison security.
Another scheme involved Correctional Educator Lakesha Murry, who allegedly traded contraband items, including drugs, and even forbidden delicacies, for money and opulent gifts like a Gucci bag, orchestrating deliveries to her supposedly academic-focused inmates. Murry, having kissed one of her students in a moment captured on security footage, passed along not just educational material but also illicit substances like synthetic cannabis.
Lastly, Correctional Officer Kathryn Hawes reportedly turned her back on official duties to establish an illegal liaison with prisoner Artemis Booker, using contraband cell phones to facilitate her crime, she allegedly passed on a variety of forbidden items including a watch which she had brazenly photographed before dispatching to Booker's phone, and when cops finally cuffed her, they found her to be concealing even more contraband.
The extensive investigation, led by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS), has not only resulted in these indictments but Secretary Carolyn Scruggs of DPSCS confirmed the swift action and suspension policies, revealing, "Upon learning of potential wrongdoing, the Department initiated a comprehensive investigation, which culminated in warrants being issued for the individuals involved," as detailed in the initial report by FOX Baltimore.
The indicted correctional staff members were released post-charge, but their incarcerated co-conspirators remain behind bars, now facing additional charges atop their existing sentences.
