Corrections Officer Indicted On Phone Smuggling Charges

September 14, 2011 8:01 PM

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California prison guard has been indicted on six counts of taking bribes from inmates to smuggle tobacco and cell phones.

The federal grand jury in Sacramento says Bobby Joe Kirby of Reno, Nev., took nearly $16,000 to sneak the contraband into the California Correctional Center in Susanville. The minimum-security prison trains inmates to fight wildfires.

Kirby, who is 55, is free on $25,000 bond after his arrest in June on a preliminary charge that was sealed until he was indicted Wednesday. He has not entered a plea, and his attorney, Matthew Bockmon, did not return a telephone message.

He faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.

Gov. Jerry Brown is considering legislation making such smuggling a misdemeanor to fight the growing problem of phones behind bars.

Corrections Officer Indicted On Phone Smuggling Charges

Mace

If this were true then why is he free on $25k bond?
bob calvin

Why only a misdemeanor? Should be a felony
babalouey

He’s free on bond because that is the amount set for this type of crime. What this corrections officer did was provide a phone so the inmate can conduct his business from within his jail cell. They could order a “hit” on someone from this cell with that phone. The correctional officer knows this but the money was his goal. Greed was his goal. But what he did was he cost a lot of innocent people their security, and we don’t know yet, but the guard could also have cost someone their life, not to mention all the drugs deals that go on like this within the prison. No second chances, the guard should definitely go to prison.

Wine Guy

Oh, please, you truly listen to all of the cr*p that CDCR and the politicians tell you? The majority of cell phones smuggled into prison are used by inmates to keep in contact with parents, siblings and children because 1) there is no guarantee they will get to use the incredibly expensive collect phones and 2) they were probably shipped so far from where they lived they never receive visits. There are such small numbers of violent prison gang members that your statement is just ludicrous and sensationalist. But then, I have done the simple research and you haven’t.

Give this idiot 1 year and fine him $32,000. $16K for the bribes as a fine and $16K to go into a scholarship fund for inmates children.

badcops

Wine Guy is exactly right. Guards have been selling cell phones to inmates for personal profit just like any other contraband…. It’s all about the money!

Yeah, I said it.

Gov. Brown wants to make it just a misdemeanor? I guess that’s what you get for endorsing a dem in the office. make it easier for the criminals to remain free and the rest of the population to foot the bills for the democrats short commings.
Elenira

Graham..I had to chime in I’m not sure what kind of hsplitaos you are uesd to being in and the total inner city may be different But besides the urgent case issues (bleeding limbs, accidents, etc) one of the major reasons why it takes so long to be seen at a hospital has to do with two things:a) the system itselfb) Because AMERICANS are unhealthy.Period, end of story. as a nation we are grossly obese and unhealthy and as such, our medical system is clogged with the results.Unless possibly you are going to some seriously inner city hsplitaos, the hallways are not clogged with addicts or excons.In fact, they are usually the last to seek treatment for anything, becasue they are exposed to stigma, prejudice, and fear every day.Don’t get me wrong there are some people that are just lazy or evil. I’m sure of it.And those people that are irresponsible and end up hurting another due to their actions due to crimes of violence or an overdose at the wheel, as you said, should be punished accordingly.But to jail people proactively? Just because they *might* do that to someone? Because they are guilty of something we are familiar with the compulsion to self medicate, the compulsion to escape, the compulsion to feel good is just asanine.I don’t know why it became so tabboo in this country to say I like to get high. I like to feel good. It’s my body and this is what I want to do with it. I guess 20 years of the war on drugs really has changed societal norms.