Two Philadelphia correctional officers have been arrested for smuggling contraband and narcotics into the prison system for profit, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office announced on Tuesday.
Roderick Price, 41, was arrested at his home in Philadelphia, and Christina Ingram, 23, was arrested while at work.
They both were charged with corrupt organization, criminal conspiracy, dealing in illegal proceeds, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and related charges.
Both correctional officers worked at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility (CFCF) and are accused of operating two separate contraband smuggling schemes that illegally generated thousands of dollars.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
During a separate investigation into a shooting and kidnapping, a detective discovered that an inmate involved in that case was receiving contraband. After that they discovered many inmates were receiving cell phones, charging cords, AirPods and narcotics from within the prison system, Assistant District Attorney Joseph Lanuti, also on the DAO Gun Violence Task Force, said.
They investigated where that contraband came from which led them to Price and Ingrim.
“It goes to the heart of the problem of corruption. Corruption that can endanger correctional officers. Corruption that can endanger inmates. Corruption that can endanger the general public in several different kinds of ways,” Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Price and Ingram are accused of working with civilians to smuggle cell phones and Suboxone, a medicine used to treat people suffering from opioid use disorder, into the facility.
Both officers in this case were paid by inmates or their families through cash or digital payments. They were provided with the contraband outside the jail and would then smuggle them into the jail where they were sold, Lanuti said.
Investigators allege that Price and Ingrim did not worked together.
“They both had they own thing going, they had separate operations,” Krasner said.
Price has been a corrections officer since 2006. Ingram has been employed with the PDP since 2023.
Lanuti said they have seen instances where inmates use cell phones to contact and intimidate victims and witnesses of crimes, they also use them to communicate with co-conspirators outside the jail.
“Create a climate and a culture of lawlessness in that prison that is completely unacceptable,” Krasner
Krasner addressed staffing issues in the prisons, saying the city is doing everything it can to address this issue.
“While we need more correctional officers, we need officers with integrity who will uphold the law and their oath,” Philadelphia Department of Prisons Commissioner Michael Resnick said.
Krasner said the staffing issues are a result of the pandemic.
“We should always be concerned in any correctional institution with the possibility that there are some bad actors not just those that are in the cells but there are some bad actors in uniforms,” Krasner said.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox.
