Fort Myers Correctional Officer Arrested In Connection With Plan To Smuggle Drugs Into Prison

Fort Myers, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces the filing of a criminal complaint charging Leslie Spencer (48, Port Charlotte) with attempted possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances. If convicted, Spencer faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. 

According to the complaint, Spencer worked as a correctional officer at the Charlotte Correctional Institution’s offsite work camp located in Fort Myers. In March 2021, Spencer agreed to smuggle three ounces of methamphetamine, three ounces of MDMA, a small amount of synthetic marijuana, and two cellphones into the prison and provide it to an inmate in exchange for a payment of $400.

On March 31, 2021, shortly before his shift was to begin, Spencer met with an undercover employee of the FBI in the parking lot of a retail store located on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard in Fort Myers. There, the undercover employee provided Spencer with sham drugs, two cellphones, and $400 in cash. Upon leaving the store, Spencer was arrested.

A complaint is merely a charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael V. Leeman.