Darell Reed, 35, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in Pekin, Illinois, has received an additional 15-month prison sentence for possessing a prohibited object while incarcerated. The sentencing took place on August 5, 2025, and includes a $100 special assessment. This new sentence will be served after Reed completes his current federal term for conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
During the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Jonathan E. Hawley, evidence was presented that on March 10, 2024, Reed received an item from a visitor at FCI-Pekin. Prison staff later recovered two small orange balloons containing 30 orange pieces of film wrapped in cellophane. These strips were found to contain Suboxone and buprenorphine—both classified as Schedule III controlled substances and banned within the facility.
According to federal law, inmates found in possession of contraband can face up to five years in prison in addition to their existing sentences, fines up to $250,000, a mandatory $100 special assessment, and up to three years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Springfield Field Office and the Special Investigative Services unit of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa P. Ortiz prosecuted the case.
"The statutory penalties for possession of contraband by an inmate are not more than five years imprisonment, to be served consecutive to the existing term of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, a mandatory special assessment of $100, and not more than three years supervised release."
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