TEXARKANA, Texas – A 55-year-old Titus County, Texas, man and a 54-year-old federal inmate have pleaded guilty to a bribery conspiracy in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox today.
James Thompson pleaded guilty on August 5, 2020, to conspiring to commit bribery before U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline M. Craven. In his plea agreement, Thompson agreed to forfeit $17,200.00 in United States currency and cash proceeds from his scheme.
Gilbert Gomez pleaded guilty on August 31, 2020, to conspiring to commit bribery before U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline M. Craven. In his plea agreement, Gomez agreed to forfeit $15,000.00 in United States currency and cash proceeds from his scheme.
According to information presented in court, beginning before August 2019 and continuing through January 2020, Thompson, a federal correctional officer, and Gomez, a federal inmate, engaged in a scheme to smuggle contraband into the Federal Correctional Institution located in Texarkana, Texas. During the scheme, Thompson received cash bribe payments and prison contraband at a post office box under the alias of “Bobby Brown.” Thompson then smuggled the contraband into FCI Texarkana when he entered the facility to go to work. Gomez coordinated the scheme from inside the institution, where he arraigned cash bribe payments and delivered the smuggled contraband to other inmates. Thompson and Gomez received more than $30,000.00 total for smuggling contraband into FCI Texarkana.
Under federal statutes, Thompson and Gomez face up to 5 years in federal prison at sentencing. The statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigations by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case is being investigated by the Dallas Field Office of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General and the Fort Worth Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan R. Hornok.
