Former La Villa Corrections Officer Indicted for Smuggling Cell Phone to Federal Inmate

MCALLEN, TX—Jorge Luis Sandoval, 21, of Pharr, Texas, has been arrested on a bribery charge for smuggling a cell phone into the East Hildago Detention Center located in La Villa, Texas, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.

A federal grand jury in McAllen returned the one-count sealed indictment on May 15, 2012. In it, Sandoval is charged with one count of accepting a bribe while acting under the authority of the U.S Marshals Service as a correctional officer.

The indictment was unsealed this morning upon his arrest by federal authorities. Sandoval is scheduled for an arraignment and detention hearing tomorrow before United States Magistrate Judge Dorina Ramos.

Sandoval worked as a corrections officer at the East Hildago Detention Center in La Villa, Texas. According to the indictment, Sandoval used his official position to enrich himself by accepting a cash payment from an individual acting on a federal inmate in exchange for smuggling a cell telephone into the prison.

Bribery carries a maximum punishment of 15 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. The investigation leading to the charges in this case was conducted by the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorney Casey N. MacDonald is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.