Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced Thursday that 15 people have been indicted in three different prison contraband conspiracies in connection to inmates at Roxbury Correctional Institution (RCI) in Hagerstown, Maryland.

The investigation unveiled a sophisticated criminal network that employed drones, a correctional officer and a hospital, allowing the distribution of dangerous drugs, including fentanyl, and other illicit items.

“Crimes committed behind locked prison gates are as much a threat to our communities as crimes committed in our neighborhoods and streets,” said Attorney General Brown. “The Office of the Attorney General is committed to making sure that anyone who tries to threaten the safety of Marylanders will be caught and brought to justice.”

In April 2022, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) began an investigation after an inmate had returned to RCI from a hospital visit. Staff recovered drugs and other contraband, prompting the investigation.

Investigators uncovered a complex web of conspiracies to smuggle drugs and other contraband into RCI by way of an employee, drones and outside civilians who were recruited over social media.

“Our intelligence and investigative team did a great job collecting information to build a strong case that we could present for prosecution,” said Carolyn J. Scruggs, Secretary of the MD Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. “We will not tolerate contraband because it can lead to violence.”

In one conspiracy, officials say inmate Jose Tapia recruited two civilians via Instagram and paid them to fly drones over the RCI fence and drop drugs and other contraband for Tapia to receive and redistribute within RCI.

On September 7, 2022, law enforcement interrupted an attempted drone delivery and arrested Guy Austin and Miya Scott.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, investigators also recovered a drone Austin and Scott had crashed the evening prior while attempting to make a delivery.

The recovered packages attached to the drones included drugs, tools, cell phones, phone chargers, SIM cords, headphones and thumb drives.

According to authorities, three individuals are charged in this conspiracy:

• Jose Tapia, 36, an RCI Inmate, is charged in a 10-count indictment, including charges of contraband conspiracy and illegal possession of a telecommunications device in a place of confinement. 
  
• Guy Austin, Jr., 30, of Baltimore, Maryland, an outside facilitator for Jose Tapia, is charged in a 60-count indictment, including charges of contraband conspiracy, possession of controlled dangerous substances with the intent to distribute, and attempt to deliver contraband to a place of confinement.
  
• Miya Scott, 25, of Baltimore, Maryland, an outside facilitator for Jose Tapia, is charged in a 19-count indictment, including charges of contraband conspiracy.

In the second conspiracy, officials say a dietary correctional officer Temille Ashby, a 10-year veteran of DPSCS, smuggled drugs to inmate Jamal Brown, who would then redistribute them within RCI.

As a dietary officer, Ashby would work in the RCI kitchen where inmate Brown was assigned to work.

On November 5, 2022, law enforcement intercepted Ashby when she reported to RCI to work an overtime shift and recovered a bundle of approximately 158 strips of Suboxone, which Ashby had hidden, the Attorney General’s Office said.

Suboxone is sold for $100 a strip inside of prison, according to authorities.

Financial records showed that Ashby had received approximately $16,132 in payments on Cash App from Brown and his family members. Ashby’s normal work location was at Jessup Correctional Institution in Anne Arundel County, but she would occasionally work overtime shifts at RCI.

According to authorities, two individuals are charged in this conspiracy:

• Temille Ashby, 33, a dietary correctional officer, is charged in a 14-count indictment, including charges of contraband conspiracy, possession of controlled dangerous substances with the intent to distribute, and attempt to deliver contraband to a place of confinement.
  
• Jamal Brown, 33, an RCI inmate, is charged in an 8-count indictment, including charges of contraband conspiracy and illegal possession of a telecommunications device in a place of confinement.

In the third conspiracy, officials say inmate Akeem Banks was transported from RCI to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) in Baltimore City for medical treatment.

Friends and family of other RCI inmates would hide bundles of drugs and other contraband within bathrooms at UMMC, which Banks would collect during his visits to the hospital. Banks hid the contraband in his clothing and smuggled the items back to RCI.

Once inside RCI, Banks would give the contraband to other inmates, who would redistribute the items within the facility. Between April 2022 through August 2022, law enforcement intercepted four packages of drugs and other contraband intended to be smuggled into RCI.

The recovered packages included drugs, including fentanyl, cell phones, power adaptors, flash drives and cigarettes. Surveillance showed Tracy Williams (an outside facilitator for RCI inmate Jason Butler), and Keith Shuford (an outside facilitator for inmate Deven Matos) hiding packages within UMMC.

According to authorities, five individuals are charged in this conspiracy:

• Akeem Banks, 29, an RCI inmate, is charged in a 40-count indictment, including charges of contraband conspiracy, possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute, and possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
  
• Jason Butler, 44, an RCI inmate, is charged in a 6-count indictment, including charges of contraband conspiracy and attempt to possess contraband in a place of confinement.
  
• Tracy Williams, 49, of Brooklyn, Maryland, an outside facilitator for Jason Butler, is charged in a 4-count indictment, including charges of contraband conspiracy.
  
• Deven Matos, 29, an RCI inmate, is charged in a 6-count indictment, including charges of contraband conspiracy and illegal possession of a telecommunications device in a place of confinement.
  
• Keith Shuford, 26, of Waldorf, Maryland, an outside facilitator for Deven Matos, is charged in a 4-count indictment, including charges of contraband conspiracy.

“Illicit controlled substances, like fentanyl, continue to flood our country at an alarming rate, and no communities or institutions are immune from its devastation, to include this correctional facility in Maryland”, mentioned Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Washington Division.

Authorities also say that five additional individuals are charged as a result of those cell searches:

• Denis Alvarez, 27, an RCI inmate, is charged in a 2-count indictment with charges of illegal possession of a telecommunications device in a place of confinement and possession of contraband.
  
• James Careton, 34, an RCI inmate, is charged in a 5-count indictment, including charges of illegal possession of a telecommunications device in a place of confinement and possession of contraband.
  
• Jeffrey Gilmore, 41, an RCI inmate, is charged in a 13-count indictment, including charges of illegal possession of a telecommunications device in a place of confinement and possession of controlled dangerous substance in a place of confinement.
• Avery Perry, 31, an RCI inmate, is charged in a 4-count indictment, including charges of illegal possession of a telecommunications device in a place of confinement and possession of contraband.
• Deon Warren, 28, an RCI inmate, is charged in a 2-count indictment with illegal possession of a telecommunications device in a place of confinement and possession of contraband.

The Attorney General’s Office has a long-standing relationship working with DPSCS to dismantle the importation and distribution of contraband in State institutions and hold those responsible accountable.

A criminal indictment is merely an accusation of wrongdoing, and a defendant is presumed innocent until the State proves the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.