Parole Officer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Bribery
| U.S. Attorney’s Office January 22, 2014 |
HOUSTON—April Carson, 35, of Houston, has been ordered to federal prison for accepting payoffs from parolees, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Carson was employed as a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) parole officer and pleaded guilty August 27, 2013.
Today, U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal accepted arguments of counsel and a plea for leniency by the defense based on Carson’s lack of criminal record and sentenced Carson to 18 months in federal prison. She will also have to serve a term of three years of supervised release following her release from prison.
Carson was responsible for the supervision of state inmates. As part of her duties, she supervised parolees and their travel between the states, as well as their activities to ensure they did not engage in criminal conduct. Carson was found guilty of accepting $2,000 from a parolee on October 15, 2012, to allow him to travel while under her supervision.
She was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The operation was a combined public corruption task force effort conducted by the FBI, Texas Rangers, Houston Police Department, and TDCJ-Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James McAlister with the assistance of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.