A corrections officer from the Otay Mesa Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility was indicted by a federal grand jury for accepting thousands of dollars in cash bribes from an inmate to smuggle contraband, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
Prosecutor said Benito Jamar Hugie, 47, smuggled dental molds, jewelry, and other contraband into the prison. According to the indictment, Hugie smuggled the grill, also known as “fronts” or “golds” into the facility in early October 2020, and delivered it to 26-year-old inmate Shawn Brown, who had custom ordered it from his jeweler in Houston, Texas using a smuggled cellphone.
According to the U.S Attorney’s office, grills are generally made of precious metals and gems and are generally removable. Prosecutors also charged Brown’s brothers, Daejohne Hatcher and Demetrius Warsinger, for facilitating more than $5,000 in bribes to Hugie.
“Corrections officers are supposed to supervise inmates, not collaborate with them on crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “We will hold officers accountable when they sacrifice their own integrity and that of the prison system for a payday.” Grossman thanked the prosecution team and FBI agents for their excellent work on this case.
The announcement of the charges against Hugie also mentioned Brown’s alleged bribery scheme of using a contraband cellphone to coordinate nearly $700,000 in COVID-19 unemployment benefits fraud. . The indictment said Brown and his co-conspirators caused an estimated $1.4 million in fraudulent claims to be filed with the state Employment Development Department.
Also charged in that case are Devante Jefferson, Raven Solomon, Homer Pitts, Kimari Goodman, Keako Jones, and Daejohne Hatcher, who allegedly worked together to use stolen victim identities to file fraudulent EDD claims to receive cash benefits meant for those who were in need, the indictment said.
“The defendant is accused of using his position as a corrections officer to work for the inmates inside the facility rather than the public,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “The FBI will not tolerate public corruption or theft of government funds on any level and we will continue to work with our state and federal partners to hold accountable those who use fraudulent schemes for personal gain.”
