OCALA, Fla. — A federal correctional officer has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing an inmate and accepting bribes to smuggle contraband into a Sumter County prison.
Cornelius Alexander Thompson, 38, of Ocala, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual abuse of a person in federal custody and one count of receiving a bribe as a public official.
Thompson faces up to 15 years in federal prison on each count. A sentencing date has not been set.
According to court records, Thompson worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a correctional officer at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex.
Prosecutors said Thompson engaged in a sexual act with an inmate under his authority sometime between January 2020 and August 2023.
Thompson also accepted money to smuggle contraband into the prison between January 2020 and April 2024, according to court records.
The contraband included fentanyl, methamphetamine, PCP, ketamine, synthetic marijuana, Suboxone, marijuana, cigarettes and cellphones.
Federal prosecutors are seeking the forfeiture of $24,550 in proceeds from the bribery offense.
The Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case.
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