Former Shelby County Jailer Sentenced Over Plan to Smuggle Narcotics into Facility

Memphis, TN – On Wednesday, November 8, 2023, a federal judge sentenced a former deputy jailer for possession of narcotics knowing that they would be distributed inside the county jail. Kevin G. Ritz, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.

Kimberly Price, 31, of Memphis was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison for her role in arranging delivery of cocaine and fentanyl to inmates at the Shelby County Correctional Center. U.S. District Court Judge John T. Fowlkes, Jr. also ordered Price to serve two years of supervised release upon completion of her prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to information presented in court, in September 2020, the FBI Tarnished Badge Task Force initiated an investigation into allegations that Price, a deputy jailer at the Shelby County Correctional Center, was smuggling narcotics into the facility to be distributed to inmates. An inmate cooperating with the investigators made contact with Price to request that Price purchase narcotics that would ultimately be smuggled into the jail by a third party and delivered to the inmate. Price agreed, and on October 16, 2020, delivered a bag of cocaine to a cooperating source in exchange for $1000. On November 4, 2020, Price met with the cooperator again and provided fentanyl pills in exchange for $1300.

On May 4, 2023, Price pled guilty to a two-count criminal information alleging possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

United States Attorney Kevin Ritz thanked Assistant United States Attorney David Pritchard, who prosecuted this case, as well as law enforcement partners who investigated the case.