Former Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Role in Bribery and Drug Smuggling Conspiracy

A North Carolina man pleaded guilty today to smuggling drugs and other contraband into Caledonia Correctional Institution in exchange for bribe payments.

According to court documents, Kenneth Farr, 47, of Rocky Mount, worked as a correctional officer at Caledonia Correctional Institution, a state prison in Halifax County. On at least six occasions in 2018, Farr used his position to smuggle contraband, including marijuana, tobacco, and what he believed to be oxycodone pills, to inmates in the prison. In exchange for smuggling the contraband, Farr received payments ranging from $300 to $500 in cash or via a mobile application and pocketed at least $2,200 from inmates and their associates. 

Farr pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to use a facility in interstate commerce in furtherance of unlawful activity. He is scheduled to be sentenced in mid-June and faces a maximum of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Robert R. Wells of the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI is investigating the case, with significant assistance from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

Trial Attorneys Rebecca M. Schuman and Lauren E. Britsch of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case.