ROCHESTER, N.Y.--U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Shanna Nix, 24, of Rochester, N.Y., pleaded guilty to providing contraband to an inmate at a federal correctional institution before U.S. District Court Judge Frank P. Geraci. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who is handling the case, stated that the defendant was visiting a friend who was an inmate at the McKean Federal Correctional Institution in Bradford, Pennsylvania. During that visit, Nix was observed on surveillance video placing four balloons filled with marijuana into a bag of food she was sharing with the inmate. Before the inmate could ingest the balloons, corrections officers intercepted them.
The defendant was originally indicted in the Western District of Pennsylvania, but the case was transferred to the Western District of New York for the plea.
Sentencing is scheduled for November 6, 2013 at 3:30 p.m. before Judge Geraci.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
