FRESNO, CA—Gerardo Alvarez-Montanez, 32, an inmate at the Taft Federal Correctional Institution, was sentenced by United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii today to five years in prison for conspiracy to provide and possess contraband in prison, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, between November 2013 and February 27, 2014, Alvarez-Montanez recruited and then conspired with correctional officer Ramon Cano 28, of Bakersfield, to smuggle cellphones, cash, alcohol and controlled substances into the prison in return for cash.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Brian K. Delaney is prosecuting the case.

On August 25, 2014, Cano pleaded guilty today to conspiring to provide and possess contraband in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 15, 2014. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.