Federal Correctional Officer Sentenced to Prison for Accepting Bribes and Smuggling Contraband

On January 12, 2012, a former federal correctional officer employed at FCI Greenville was sentenced in the federal court in East St. Louis to federal prison term for accepting bribes and smuggling contraband into the prison, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.

Dreux M. Perkins, 26, of Greenville, Illinois, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment, a $500 special assessment, a $500 fine, and three years of supervised release following his incarceration. Perkins is required to undergo psychological evaluations and treatment upon his release, and he is further required to sign self-exclusions and refrain from entering any gaming establishments during his term of supervised release. Evidence presented in court established that Perkins has a gambling addiction and that he also suffers from post traumatic stress disorder from his military service in Iraq where he was exposed to road side bombs.

Perkins was employed at FCI Greenville from October 13, 2009, until after his arrest on May 14, 2011. He pled guilty on September 15, 2011, to one count of bribery by a federal official, two counts of honest services wire fraud, and two counts of making false statements to the FBI. U.S. Attorney Wigginton praised the warden and staff at Greenville, saying,“The administration at FCI Greenville should be credited for their assistance. This prosecution would not have been possible without the support of the warden and the work of the agents who conducted this investigation. Corruption by law enforcement agents in any facet of their work will not be tolerated. Those few corrupt officers undermine public confidence in the overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers who are honest and trustworthy public servants.”

The first false statement charge alleged that Perkins lied to an FBI agent when he was interviewed inside FCI Greenville. Perkins falsely denied that he had smuggled cigarettes into the prison, when the cigarettes were in a plastic baggie hidden in Perkins’ crotch area during the interview. The second false statement charge alleged that Perkins falsely denied accepting a bribe during a meeting with a coconspirator. In truth, Perkins received a $2,000 cash payment during the meeting, which he took directly to the Argosy Casino, located in Alton, Illinois; and he proceeded to gamble, and lose, all of the bribery money that he was paid.

The case was investigated by the Metro East Public Corruption Task force and agents of the FCI Greenville Special Investigations Office, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, Illinois State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft.