Northeast Ohio Correctional Center Correction Officer indicted for bribery and providing cell phones and contraband to inmates

United States Attorney Justin Herdman announced that a federal grand jury sitting in Cleveland has returned a three-count indictment charging Skyler Herring, age 27, of Youngstown with bribery and providing cell phones and tobacco to inmates at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center (NEOCC) while employed as a Correctional Officer.

According to the indictment, from November 2018 to August 2019, the defendant is accused of accepting electronic payments via a mobile payment application in exchange for smuggling cell phones and tobacco into the NEOCC.

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

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense 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 investigation was conducted by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General and the Cleveland Division of FBI. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Seabury Gould.