Bureau of Prisons Inmate Sentenced to Over One Year in Prison For Offering Bribes to Corrections Officer

DETROIT – A federal inmate with the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), was sentenced to 18 months in prison today for offering bribes to a corrections officer, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.

Ison was joined in the announcement by William J. Hannah, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General.

Robert Bibbs, 28, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of offering bribes to a public official before United States District Judge Jonathan J.C. Grey. Federal law classifies corrections officers as public officials.

According to court documents, between April 2023 and November 2023, Bibbs became acquainted with a corrections officer (identified in the plea agreement as CO-1) while he was an inmate at the Milan, Michigan Federal Correctional Institution (FCI Milan). During this time, Bibbs asked CO-1 to purchase pouches of loose tobacco and smuggle them into the prison for him. Bibbs requested these items so he could sell the tobacco in prison at a significant profit. In September 2023, CO-1 also purchased a gold necklace which she secretly brought into the prison and gave to Bibbs. Both the tobacco and the necklace are considered contraband within FCI Milan. Contraband is defined as prohibited materials which can reasonably be expected to cause physical injury or adversely affect the security, safety, or good order of the institution. Bibbs offered to pay CO-1 for smuggling contraband into the prison for him.

United States Attorney Ison stated, “Our justice system cannot function properly if our prisons are not safe and secure. Inmates who engage in this type of prohibited conduct endanger the safety of everyone inside the prison. We will address crime wherever it happens.”

“Contraband items such as jewelry and tobacco are used as a currency within federal prisons, which undermines the safety and security of institutions,” said William J. Hannah, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General Midwestern Region. “Today’s sentencing shows that inmates who seek to bribe Correctional Officers to introduce contraband into federal prisons will be held accountable.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eaton P. Brown. The investigation was conducted by the Department of Justice-Office of Inspector General