A former correctional officer has admitted to accepting bribes to smuggle contraband into a federal prison in Bastrop, according to court records. In a plea agreement, 49-year-old Waldemar Perez pleaded guilty to one count of bribery, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas reported. Perez worked at the Federal Correctional Institution Bastrop, where he was involved in the illicit activity from May 2021 to May 2023, as reported by CBS Austin.
Documents filed in court revealed that Perez would receive contraband from inmates' friends and relatives, then covertly transport and hide these items within the prison's confines. He informed inmates where to secretly find the smuggled goods, clearly partaking in a contrivance to maintain a black market economy behind bars. CBS Austin reported that on one occasion, Perez accepted $300 to smuggle cigarettes and e-cigarettes to an inmate on May 3, 2023, as per FOX 7 Austin. These transactions allowed him to amass tens of thousands of dollars over a two-year span.
With the plea entered, Perez now faces a potential maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The date for sentencing has not been determined yet, but a federal judge will be tasked with deciding Perez's fate.
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