Correctional Officer Charged with Accepting Bribes and Smuggling Contraband into NEOCC

CLEVELAND – A Northeast Ohio Correctional Center (NEOCC) correctional officer was charged on Nov. 14, 2022, in a four-count Information for his role in a scheme to smuggle contraband into the NEOCC in return for bribery payments.

Terry Terrigno, 30, of Canfield, Ohio, was charged with one count each of providing narcotics, marijuana and tobacco to inmates and one count of accepting bribes.

According to court documents, from February 2017 to July 2019, Terrigno allegedly smuggled suboxone, marijuana and tobacco to NEOCC prison inmates in return for electronic bribery payments made through a mobile phone application.

An Information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offenses and the characteristics of the violation.

In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum, and in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

This case was investigated by the Cleveland FBI and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG).  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Seabury Gould.