HAMILTON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) — A correctional officer at Hamilton Correctional Institution and his girlfriend were charged Tuesday after officials say they conspired with inmates to smuggle contraband into the prison.
Corrections officer Joshua Paul Cabrera, 28, faces 25 counts of conspiracy to introduce contraband and 25 counts of bribery along with his girlfriend 29-year-old Brittani Arnold, who faces 25 counts of bribery in the first degree.
According to the Office of Inspector General report, Cabrera is accused of bringing unspecified contraband into the prison and distributing it to a prisoner, who would then distribute it to other prisoners.
In return, investigators found that various prisoners’ families would pay Cabrera through his girlfriend’s Cash App account, and then she would transfer portions of the money back to Cabrera.
Investigators found that there were 25 transactions for $3,525 transferred to Arnold’s Cash App account, and then 25 transactions for $2,830 transferred to Cabrera’s Cash App account.
The money transfers all happened while the respective inmates were housed in HCI, mostly in the dormitories where Cabrera worked, officials said.
Based on inmates’ and their family members’ testimonies, and the Cash App subpoenaed information, investigators found probable cause to charge Cabrera and Arnold.
Cabrera is currently being held at the Hamilton County Jail on a $375,000 bond while Arnold is being held on a $275,000 bond.
