Former correctional officer heads to prison for bribery

McALLEN, Texas - A 33-year-old man from Progreso has been ordered to prison for smuggling contraband items into the East Hidalgo Detention Center, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. 

Jhaziel Loredo pleaded guilty March 4.  

Today, District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced Loredo to 28 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. 

From October 2018 to August 2019, Loredo used his official position as a correctional officer at the East Hidalgo Detention Center to bring contraband into the facility. Some of the items included controlled substances. He then distributed them to federal inmates.

In exchange, Loredo accepted bribe payments from family members of the multiple inmates totaling approximately $1,900. 

Loredo was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Justice - Office of Inspector General, and FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy L. Greenbaum and Patricia Cook Profit prosecuted the case.