A guard tower and razor wire are seen at California State Prison, Solano in Vacaville, Calif. The overcrowded California prison was running on emergency generator power for a third day Tuesday, July 16, 2024, following a major electrical outage in the area over the weekend amid a heat wave. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
A 44-year-old former California Medical Facility correctional officer pleaded guilty earlier this year to bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and will be sentenced in September.
Stephen Joseph Crittenden, of Suisun City, entered his plea on April 11 in a federal courtroom in Sacramento, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said in a press statement.
According to court documents, Crittenden worked at CMF, a state prison at 1600 California Drive in Vacaville. In 2021 through 2023, he accepted bribes totaling more than $45,000 to smuggle cellphones into the medical facility, noted Talbert, who leads the U.S. Department of Justice’s Eastern District of California.
As previously reported, a federal grand jury indicted Crittenden on Sept. 14, 2023. He was arrested by the FBI, jailed, but later released and remains out of custody.
Scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 12 by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley, Crittenden faces a maximum prison term of 10 years and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court and federal sentencing guidelines, which take into account a number of variables, Talbert noted in the prepared statement.
The case stemmed from an investigation by the FBI, with assistance from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Fogg leads the prosecution.
Originally published at Richard Bammer