Ocala, FL – Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces the return of an indictment charging Wayne Grant, Jr. (27, Orlando) with receipt of a bribe by a public official. If convicted, Grant faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.
According to court documents, Grant worked as a correctional officer at Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County. In December 2020, Grant agreed to smuggle methamphetamine into the prison for an inmate in exchange for money. Once federal authorities were notified, Grant unwittingly began contacting an undercover agent in order to complete the transaction.
Federal agents mailed approximately 70 grams of fake methamphetamine and $2000 in money orders to a post office where Grant had requested the drugs be sent. Grant was observed retrieving the package from the post office and later deposited the money orders into his bank account. Subsequently, during his assigned shift on February 4, 2021, Grant smuggled the contraband into FCC Coleman and provided it to an inmate.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
