Employees and inmates at a Florida detention facility were charged with bribery and introducing contraband.
United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced the unsealing of four indictments charging employees, inmates, and inmates’ acquaintances at the Citrus County Detention Facility (CCDF) with bribery and drug offenses. The unsealed indictments accuse the following people:
- 50-year-old Justin Harvey, Inverness, Florida: Acceptance of a Bribe by a Public Official, and Introduction of Contraband to a Prison (up to 15 years in prison)
- 28-year-old Dekarri Nixon, Jasper, Florida: Acceptance of a Bribe by a Public Official (up to 15 years in prison)
- 35-year-old Courtney Smith, Brooksville, Florida: Conspiracy to Bribe a Public Official, Acceptance of a Bribe by a Public Official, and Introduction of Contraband into a Prison (up to 15 years in prison)
- 31-year-old Joshua Gallimore, Dade City, Florida: Conspiracy to Bribe a Public Official (up to 5 years in prison)
- 43-year-old Nicole Knecht, Beverly Hills, Florida: Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances, Conspiracy to Bribe Public Officials, and Acceptance of a Bribe by a Public Official (up to 20 years in prison)
- 41-year-old Ashley Fraccalvieri, Spring Hill, Florida: Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances, Conspiracy to Bribe Public Officials, and Bribery of Public Officials (up to 20 years in prison)
- 58-year-old April Vanzant, Lady Lake, Florida: Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances, Conspiracy to Bribe Public Officials, and Bribery of Public Officials (up to 20 years in prison)
- 40-year-old Ernest Grimaldi, Lecanto, Florida: Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances, and Conspiracy to Bribe Public Officials (up to 20 years in prison)
These indictments charge CCDF employees and convicts. This institution is a private jail where federal inmates are kept while they await trial or punishment in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. This facility, like all jails, was designed to be secure, and contraband such as telephones and restricted narcotics is strictly prohibited. The four charges charge the individuals listed above with breaching the law by ignoring the facility’s secure characteristics and bringing in telephones and controlled substances in exchange for money.
According to the first indictment, Justin Harvey worked as a correctional officer at the CCDF. While there, a convict (working for law enforcement) approached Harvey and demanded that he bring in a contraband cellphone. Harvey agreed to do the job. And to carry out the smuggling, Harvey met with another person to acquire the cellphone and $4,000 in cash. Harvey later smuggled the cellphone into CCDF and delivered it to the detainee.
The second accusation against Dekarri Nixon, like Harvey’s, says that Nixon served as a correctional officer at CCDF. While Nixon worked at CCDF, an inmate approached him and asked for a cellphone. Nixon met with another person outside the jail and accepted $4,000 to present a cellphone to the CCDF.
According to the third charge, Courtney Smith and Joshua Gallimore conspired to introduce contraband into CCDF. Smith worked as a commissary worker at the jail, while Gallimore was a federal inmate. Smith agreed to bring contraband into the facility for Gallimore in exchange for kickbacks from Gallimore and his friends totaling at least $5,700. Smith used this plan to smuggle a cellphone into the prison in exchange for about $300.
According to the fourth indictment, Nicole Knecht, Ashley Fraccalvieri, Ernest Grimaldi, and April Vanzant conspired to import contraband, including controlled narcotics, into CCDF in exchange for money. Knecht was a nurse at the facility, while Fraccalvieri had formerly worked as a correctional officer. Grimaldi was a state inmate in the prison. This group worked together to bring controlled narcotics and other contraband into the prison. Grimaldi authorized Knecht and Fraccalvieri to accept contraband from people outside the CCDF and smuggle it into the institution using the facility’s jail call system. Knecht received payment from Fraccalvieri and Grimaldi for her smuggling services. After meeting with Fraccalvieri, law enforcement apprehended Knecht for possessing controlled narcotics. Knecht intended to smuggle the controlled chemicals into CCDF. Law enforcement agents later apprehended Fraccalvieri, who was about to enter the facility with over 400 oxycodone pills. Fraccalvieri acquired these drugs after meeting with Vanzant.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshals Service, and the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office all conducted investigations into these Florida instances. Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Buchanan will prosecute the cases.
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