A federal grand jury indicted a former Fort Dix correctional officer today for accepting cash bribes in exchange for delivering contraband to federal inmates at Fort Dix, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito and Special Agent in Charge Guido Modano of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, New York Field Division, announced.

Paul Anton Wright, 32, of Berlin, was charged by indictment with two counts of agreeing to accept and accepting bribes, two counts of violating the Travel Act, and one count of providing contraband to an inmate inside a correctional facility. Wright was charged by criminal complaint in April 2018. He will be arraigned in federal court on a date to be determined.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Wright was a correctional officer at Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix (FCI Fort Dix), a Bureau of Prisons facility for male inmates in Burlington County. In 2015, Wright agreed to accept cash bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband, including tobacco, K2 (synthetic marijuana) and suboxone (a narcotic used treat opioid addiction), to inmates.

Wright received the cash bribes from two individuals outside of the facility. From February 2015 to September 2015, Wright traveled to Philadelphia to receive cash payments from the relative of an inmate and subsequently delivered contraband, including K2, to the inmate. For example, on April 21, 2015, Wright accepted a cash payment from the relative, deposited a portion of it into his bank account and used some of the cash to gamble at a casino in Atlantic City. In exchange for that payment, Wright subsequently delivered contraband to an inmate.

From October 2015 to December 2015, Wright traveled to Bronx, New York, to receive cash payments from the relative of another inmate’s girlfriend. He met with this relative multiple times and accepted contraband and cash. For example, on Dec. 13, 2015, Wright accepted a cash payment of several thousand dollars from this relative in exchange delivering contraband to the inmate.

The bribery counts with which Wright is charged carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. The maximum fine is the greatest of three times the value of the bribe payments or $250,000. The Travel Act counts and the contraband smuggling count all carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 per count.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Modano, with the investigation leading to today’s indictment.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rahul Agarwal, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, and Tazneen Shahabuddin, Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Special Prosecutions Division.