Ex-correctional officer in Texas Dalby Unit sentenced in federal bribery case

A former correctional officer was sentenced Thursday to a year and a day in prison for accepting a bribe in exchange for smuggling drugs and other contraband into a facility that housed federal inmates.

Jasmine Arellano faced up to 15 years in federal prison after she pleaded guilty in April to a count of receipt of a bribe by a public official.

She appeared with her attorney, Kris Espino, for a sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix.

A pre-sentencing report provided the court with a suggested punishment range of 12 to 18 months in federal prison.

Arellano, who began working at the Dalby Unit in October 2019, admitted to accepting money from an inmate in January 2021, with whom she begun a relationship. In exchange for the money, which was sent to her via online payment apps, she brought the inmate contraband items that included cologne, candy, cigarettes and workout supplements.

The Dalby Unit in Post is operated by a private company contracted by the government to house federal inmates.

However, she later smuggled drugs such as cocaine, synthetic marijuana, THC-infused food and vodka.

Arellano received a total of about $10,000 in bribes.

According to court documents, Arellano resigned in May 2021, about a month after the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General learned about misconduct by correctional officers at the Dalby Unit, including Arellano, court records stated.

In October of that year, agents with the office interviewed Arellano and she admitted to accepting bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband into the facility.

At her sentencing hearing, Espino asked for probation, saying his client realized the error of her ways, and that she has complied with all the conditions of her pre-trial release.

"She will never be before you again," he said.

Arellano, who has been out on a personal recognizance bond since April, apologized for her actions.

"I was young and I made a mistake," she said.

However, prosecutor Jeff Haag, argued that probation was an inappropriate punishment for Arellano's actions.

"Anytime there is an introduction of contraband in prison, there is a risk of harm to officers and inmates," he said.

He argued that a punishment of a month and a day was appropriate because he believed Arellano didn't pose a risk of reoffending because of her age.

The extra day would allow Arellano to collect good time credit, which could reduce the length of her sentence.

Hendrix told Arellano that her actions not only posed a risk to officers and inmates, but it also undermined the substance abuse treatment that inmates are going through as they serve their sentences.

He said because of that, a punishment of incarceration was necessary.

"Today is about consequences for the decision that was made and the harm that was caused," he said.

Hendrix allowed Arellano to report to the Bureau of Prisons by Sept. 14.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Former Texas correctional officer sentenced in federal bribery case