TAMPA — A former Citrus County correctional officer pleaded guilty to accepting a $4,000 bribe in exchange for smuggling a cellphone into a federal detention facility, U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced.
Dekarri Nixon, 28, of Jasper, faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison for accepting a bribe as a public official. Federal prosecutors are also seeking forfeiture of the $4,000 Nixon received.
Nixon worked as a correctional officer at the Citrus County Detention Facility, where federal detainees are held while awaiting trial and sentencing. In that role, he was responsible for supervising federal inmates on behalf of the United States. According to court documents, Nixon agreed to accept the $4,000 payment in exchange for bringing a cellphone into the facility — a direct violation of his official duties.
“Smuggling contraband, including cellphones, was a violation of Nixon’s official duty,” court documents state. “The introduction of contraband, such as cellphones, into secure detention facilities presents a security risk to those both inside and outside the facility.”
Cellphones in the hands of inmates can be used to coordinate criminal activity, intimidate witnesses and circumvent facility monitoring systems — making contraband smuggling by corrections staff a persistent concern for law enforcement agencies overseeing federal detention.
The case was investigated jointly by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshals Service and the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Buchanan is prosecuting the case.
A sentencing hearing for Nixon has not yet been set.