Correctional Officer Charged With Accepting Bribes To Smuggle Contraband In Fed. Prison

An Oklahoma correctional officer is charged with accepting bribes from inmates to smuggle contraband into a federal prison. 

According to the affidavit, officer Charles Lynn conspired to accept payments for smuggling contraband, like cell phones, into the Great Plains Correctional Facility in Hinton, OK from October-December 2016. 

Authorities said inmate Jose Castillo-Garza and his brother-in-law Armando Tabares arranged to send wire transfers to Lynn as payment during that time. Tabares is accused of communicating with Lynn by phone to coordinate his payment in the form of wire transfers at the El Reno Wal-Mart. Officials said the scheme involved Tabares purchasing contraband items and mailing them to Lynn to be smuggled inside the prison. 

Castillo-Garza is also accused of distributing the contraband to other inmates. 

According to the indictment, money amounting in more than $7000 was wired to Lynn from October to December of 2016.