Justin Harvey, 50, of Inverness, pleaded guilty on June 2 to acceptance of a bribe by a public official. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.
According to the plea agreement, Harvey worked as a correctional officer at Citrus County Detention Facility (CCDF), which houses federal inmates awaiting trial, sentencing, or designation to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility. While employed at CCDF, Harvey agreed to bring a cellphone into the facility for an inmate in exchange for $4,000 in cash.
Harvey met with someone he believed was a colleague of the inmate, but who was actually an undercover law enforcement agent. He collected $4,000 and received the cellphone intended for smuggling into the detention center. Harvey wrapped the phone in saran wrap and brought it into CCDF before giving it to the inmate. The inmate later returned the device to law enforcement officials; analysis identified Harvey’s fingerprints on tape used to seal the phone.
Authorities said that introducing contraband such as cellphones into secure detention facilities presents security risks both inside and outside those facilities.
Harvey agreed to forfeit $4,000—the amount he received as a bribe—to the United States. The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, and Citrus County Sheriff’s Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Buchanan; Assistant United States Attorney James A. Muench handled forfeiture proceedings.