Michael Jason Brooks, 37, of Citra, was sentenced by United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber on June 1 to one year and one day in federal prison for receiving a bribe as a public official and providing contraband to a federal inmate. Brooks pleaded guilty on November 12, 2025.
According to court records, Brooks was employed by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, as a correctional officer at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County on June 12, 2024. He knowingly and corruptly sought and agreed to receive and accept a bribe of $3,000 in return for smuggling 177.1 grams of loose tobacco into the federal prison for an inmate.
Federal inmates are prohibited from obtaining and possessing tobacco in prison as it is considered contraband. The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.
United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.