A Texas jail supervisor is guilty of bribery after a cartel leader gave him money to use a cell phone, a federal jury found last week.
Donald Roy Kelly, 43, is one of four defendants accused in a scheme to supply Gulf Cartel bigwig Juan Saenz-Tamez with a cell phone while he was locked up in a Beaumont correctional facility, according to a DEA press release.
The former Jefferson County Jail supervisor offered Saenz-Tamez a phone in exchange for money when the cartel honcho was behind bars for federal drug trafficking charges in October 2014.
Kelly drew other people in to help with the scheme, including Darwin Barlow, 41, and jail guard Donald Turk, 45.
Barlow – one of Kelly’s relatives – bought the phone and Turk smuggled it in and out of the facility every day, court documents allege.
At one point, Kelly boasted to Turk that Saenz-Tamez had offered to pony up $2 million for help escaping.
Even though Turk turned down the $300,000 share Kelly offered, he didn’t tell any jail staff about the cell phone scheme.
Ledarris Limbrick, 28 – one of Barlow’s friends – arranged to pick up money transfers as compensation for the phone smuggling, according to court documents.
The plot eventually fell apart after authorities seized the illicit cell phone in early January 2015.
Limbrick, Barlow and Turk all pleaded guilty to federal charges for their roles in the scheme and Turk is slated for sentencing on Wednesday.
Saenz-Tamez – who later cooperated with the bribery investigation – was sentenced to 30 years in prison for drug distribution and money laundering, the Beaumont Enterprise reported .
Following a three-day trial, a federal jury Wednesday found Kelly guilty of providing an inmate with a prohibited object and bribery of a public official.
At sentencing, the Beaumont man could face 15 years in federal prison.
