NEWARK – A former correctional officer has received a prison term for his role in smuggling smuggling into a prison in South Jersey.
Cinnaminson’s 36-year-old Paul Anton Wright has been accused of receiving about $ 50,000 in bribes in exchange for smuggling tobacco, drugs and other illicit items into the FCI Fort Dicks federal prison in Burlington County.
Wright, who worked in the prison from 2014 to April 2018, took bribes in 2015 from associates of two inmates, the federal prosecutor’s office said.
The former officer said he used bribes “to fund his gambling activities in Atlantic City”, according to a criminal complaint.
Related: Hudson County Men Plead Guilty to Fort Dicks Federal Prison Drone Scheme
Wright received a 26-month term Thursday from U.S. District Judge Esther Salas in Newark.
“I thought the judge was extremely fair,” said Wright’s lawyer Mark Fury of Mount Holly. He noted that the sentence for his client is about half of his potential exposure.
Wright, who had previously pleaded guilty to receiving cash bribes, agreed to a verdict requiring payment of the money he received during the scheme.
Jim Walsh covers state security, economic development and other articles for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.
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