Former Prison Guard Admits Smuggling Contraband Into Philadelphia Prison

PHILADELPHIA – Dupree Myers, 27, previously employed at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility (“CFCF”), pleaded guilty today to attempted extortion which interfered with interstate commerce and attempted distribution of controlled substances. Myers agreed to deliver OxyContin pills and a cellphone to a prisoner in exchange for $1,000. U.S. District Court Judge Wendy Beetlestone scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 23, 2016. Myers faces a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years, plus supervised release, a special assessment, and a possible fine.

To obtain the contraband and payment, Myers arranged a meeting with the inmate’s purported associate at a location in Philadelphia. During the ensuing meeting, the inmate’s purported associate handed the contraband and cash payment to Myers, and Myers subsequently smuggled the contraband past prison security and delivered it to an inmate.

Myers was one of six prison guards charged by separate, unrelated indictments.  Each of the officers from within the Philadelphia Prison System was charged with smuggling drugs and/or cell phones to inmates in exchange for money. To date, in addition to Myers, guilty pleas have been entered in separate, related cases by: George Kindle, a former correctional officer at The House of Corrections; Marc Thompson, a former correctional officer at The House of Corrections; John Wesley Herder, a former correctional officer at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility; Joseph Romano, a former correctional officer at The Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center. Defendant Bryant Fields, a former correctional officer at The Detention Center, is awaiting trial.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Philadelphia Department of Corrections with assistance from the Philadelphia Police Department’s Prison Intelligence Group. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Brenner.