Mother of FCI Petersburg Inmate who Spearheaded Bribery Scheme Sentenced

RICHMOND, Va. – A Baltimore, Maryland, woman was sentenced to 45 months in prison yesterday for her role in a bribery scheme that allowed for the introduction of contraband into Federal Corrections Institution (FCI) Petersburg.

According to court documents, Kim Williams, 57, facilitated over $60,000 in bribe payments consisting of both wire transfers and cash payments to former Bureau of Prisons (BOP) correctional officers Stephen Taylor, 49, of Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Shanice Bullock, 28, of South Hill. In return, Taylor and Bullock permitted the introduction and distribution of contraband items across the prison facility. Williams’s son, Dontay Cox, 38, of Baltimore, Maryland, was an inmate at FCI Petersburg from around January 2014 to July 2019. Cox ran a gambling ring within the prison and distributed the contraband, including Suboxone, marijuana, heroin, cigarettes, and cellular telephones, to fellow inmates. 

Over the course of the conspiracy, specifically between December 2016 and September 2019, Williams’s bank accounts show deposits of $137,855.29. These funds included $94,961.39 in untraceable cash deposits.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office; and Russell W. Cunningham, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Simon Jr. and Michael C. Moore prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:20-cr-125.