October 7th, 2016 by WCBC Radio
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced two separate indictments 80 people in a massive alleged racketeering scheme, including 35 inmates at the state's largest prison, 18 correctional officers and more than 27 outside facilitators. The indictments were returned last week and unsealed Wednesday. The conspiracy allegedly involved bribing correctional officers to smuggle contraband, including drugs, tobacco and cell phones, into the Eastern Correctional Institution in Westover, on Maryland's Eastern Shore. No indications that other state prison facilities such as WCI or NBCI in Cresaptown are experiencing similar problems. U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein during a press conference said that prison corruption is a longstanding, deeply-rooted systemic problem that can only be solved with a combination of criminal prosecutions and policy changes. He says he hopes these arrests and ongoing investigation will send a positive message to correctional officers system wide…
.jpg)
