FCI Danbury Employee Indicted for Role in Inmate Early Release Bribery Scheme

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut; Patricia M. Ferrick, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Ronald G. Gardella, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, New York Field Office, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment today charging Kisha Perkins, a case manager at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury (FCI Danbury) for her role in a scheme to solicit and collect cash bribes from FCI Danbury inmates in exchange for a recommendation that inmates be released early to “halfway houses.”

The indictment charges Perkins, 42, of Waterbury, with one count of paying a bribe to a public official and one count of acceptance of a bribe by a public official. Perkins was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on March 14, 2014.

As alleged in the criminal complaint, in June 2013, Perkins approached another FCI Danbury employee about an opportunity to participate in a scheme to solicit a cash bribe from an inmate at FCI Danbury in exchange for the inmate’s early release to a halfway house. At that time, Perkins held the job title of unit counselor at FCI Danbury and did not have administrative authority to recommend inmates for early release. Perkins explained that the inmate and the inmate’s husband were willing to pay $20,000 and that Perkins’ co-worker, who would receive half the money, was needed to complete the scheme because the co-worker had the administrative ability to recommend inmates for early release.

Perkins’ co-worker declined to participate in the scheme, reported the incident to law enforcement, and agreed to cooperate in the investigation, which included the use of numerous consensually recorded conversations.

In July 2013, Perkins’ co-worker told Perkins that he/she had changed his/her mind and wanted to participate in the scheme. It is alleged that Perkins informed her co-worker that a scheme involving the inmate who had been previously identified was no longer feasible.

As the investigation continued, in February 2014, Perkins’ co-worker identified a second inmate as a possible candidate for the bribe scheme. Is it alleged that Perkins agreed to participate, and, after extensive planning, on March 8, 2014, Perkins and her co-worker traveled to a commuter lot off Exit 28 on Interstate 84 to pick up a partial bribe payment of $5,000 in cash in a fast food bag that, as Perkins believed, was to be dropped off by an acquaintance of the inmate.

If convicted, Perkins faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years on each count.

After her arrest on March 14, Perkins was released on a $100,000 bond. Her bond was revoked on March 28, and she is currently detained. An arraignment and detention hearing is scheduled for April 7 in New Haven.

U.S. Attorney Daly stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Wines.