Oregon Department of Corrections Officer and Co-Conspirator Indicted on Drug Charges

PORTLAND, Ore.—Richard Steven Alberts, II, 31, an Oregon Department of Corrections Officer and resident of Sherwood, Oregon, made an initial appearance today in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Jelderks.

The court unsealed a 3-count indictment charging Alberts and co-conspirator Joseph Lucio Jimenez, 27, of Gresham, Oregon, with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of heroin. Alberts and Jimenez are alleged to have conspired with one another and others to distribute methamphetamine and heroin into the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville, Oregon, where Alberts is employed.

The Oregon Department of Corrections previously placed Alberts on administrative leave pending this investigation.

Alberts was released pending trial. A jury trial is scheduled for February 25, 2020 before U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Simon.

Jimenez was in pre-trial custody on an unrelated felon in possession of a firearm charge when he was indicted in this case. He will remain in custody and make his first appearance on these new charges at a later date.

This case was investigated by the FBI, Oregon State Police, and Oregon Department of Corrections Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Craig Gabriel and Scott Bradford, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.