Corrections officer, inmate charged with smuggling drugs into DC jail
WASHINGTON - A D.C. corrections officer, an inmate and his cousin are all facing charges in connection to a drug smuggling scheme that brought narcotics into the D.C. jail.
According to FBI agents who investigated the case, 31-year-old inmate Andre Gregory, 52-year-old corrections officer Beverly Williams and Gregory’s cousin, 28-year-old Keywaune McLeod, all pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
An investigation revealed that while working at the D.C. jail in 2022, Williams accepted bribe payments totaling $6,400 to smuggle packages of narcotics into the facility. She got the drugs and cigarettes from McLeod, Gregory’s cousin, and brought them into the jail by concealing them on her body.
Once inside, Williams handed the drugs off to Gregory in secure areas where they could not be seen on surveillance cameras. Gregory then sold the drugs throughout the jail.
McLeod, who collected and managed the drug money, used CashApp to make the bribe payments to Williams. Gregory used jail-issued phones and electronic tablets to communicate with McLeod, using coded language to avoid detection.
Gregory, who was already incarcerated, was sentenced Thursday to 42 months in prison. Williams was sentenced on Aug. 21 to 18 months in prison. McLeod is awaiting sentencing.
In addition to the prison term, the District Court judge ordered 36 months of supervised release for each defendant.
"Beverly Williams betrayed her duty and undermined security and the whole function of the D.C. Jail by bringing drugs to the inmates inside," U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves said in a statement. "Our Office will do everything in our power to eliminate corruption in our prison system, and anywhere in government, and to ensure that crimes like this don’t pay."
Separately, D.C. Superior Court judge sentenced Gregory on Thursday to 96 months in prison for an armed carjacking and unlawful possession of a firearm. The sentences will run consecutively.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with the assistance of the D.C. Department of Corrections Office of Investigative Services.
"Corrections officers are responsible for cultivating a safe and orderly environment for the inmates they guard," said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist. "By conspiring with Gregory and McLeod to smuggle drugs into the D.C. Jail in return for cash, Williams abused her position of power and risked the safety and integrity of the city's correctional facility. The FBI thanks the D.C. Department of Corrections Office of Investigative Services for their partnership throughout this investigation and reaffirms our commitment to holding public servants accountable to the oaths they take and the people they serve."