USP-Marion Inmate Sentenced to 12 Years for Smuggling Marijuana Into the Prison

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced that COREY LOUIS HINES, age 38, an inmate at the United States Penitentiary at Marion, Illinois, was sentenced on Friday, April 9, 2010, in United States District Court in East St. Louis to a term of 144 months’ imprisonment for his role in smuggling marijuana and other contraband into the prison. HINES was convicted in October 2009 following a two-day jury trial of one count of possessing a prohibited object (marijuana) in a federal prison and one count of possessing with intent to distribute marijuana. The offenses were committed from September 15, 2007, through September 21, 2007.

Evidence introduced at trial and his sentencing hearing showed that correctional officers at USPMarion caught HINES attempting to smuggle marijuana into the prison in September 2009 through the visiting room by having another individual bring it into the prison and pass it to him there. The evidence further showed that HINES admitted to agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation that during the previous two month period he had received marijuana, heroin, and tobacco from his visitors and had successfully introduced those items of contraband into the prison to sell to other inmates.

In addition to the term of imprisonment, HINES was ordered to pay the United States a special assessment of $200. The 12-year term of imprisonment was imposed consecutively to the 95-month term of imprisonment HINES was already serving for his February 2006 conviction for conspiracy to commit social security fraud and aggravated identity theft from the Eastern District of Missouri.

The investigation into the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James M. Cutchin.