Prison Worker Faces Bribery Indictment

A federal corrections officer who allegedly accepted $2,800 to supply drugs, a cellular telephone and business machines to an inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles is facing indictment on bribery charges, authorities said Friday.

Gary Jerome Moorehead, 41, of Palmdale has been placed on leave pending the outcome of an undercover investigation into his activities as a unit counselor at the downtown facility, which houses more than 1,000 prisoners.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Mark Harris said that within two weeks he will ask a federal grand jury to indict the officer on charges of accepting bribes in the performance of his duties. The offense carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Neither Harris nor Lee Vaughn, the associate warden of the facility, would discuss whether other corrections officers and inmates are suspected of possible wrongdoing. Moorehead, who has been released on $100,000 bond, could not be reached for comment.

The 10-year veteran of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons was arrested March 6, more than a month after an inmate under his supervision told officials that Moorehead had offered to smuggle contraband into the cellblock.

At the time, the prisoner was awaiting sentencing for evading almost $1.5 million in state excise taxes on diesel fuel supplied to gas stations and truck stops.

According to a sworn affidavit, the inmate told Moorehead he was interested in setting up a commodities trading company inside his cell and would need a cellular telephone, a fax machine, a small computer and some currency.

Moorehead allegedly said he wanted $200 for each item and agreed to obtain the contraband from the inmate’s wife. Unbeknown to Moorehead, the woman he met was actually an FBI agent.

Court records state that the agent met with Moorehead at a restaurant in Los Angeles and gave him a package containing the phone, a fax machine, a computer and four $50 bills. She said she paid Moorehead $800.

After the prisoner received the package, Moorehead allegedly agreed to supply the inmate with more items for $2,000, including drugs, Arabic newspapers and electrical cords for the machines.

The affidavit states that the agent met again with Moorehead and gave him a second package. Agents arrested Moorehead about an hour later when he arrived for work. According to the affidavit, Moorehead admitted accepting the payments and smuggling items into the facility. The second package and $2,000 was found on the seat of his car.