United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the results of a multi-year cooperative effort by federal law enforcement to prosecute criminal offenses originating from the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex (FCC Coleman) in Sumter County, Florida. Since 2021, the Ocala Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office has prosecuted a wide range of criminal charges from the prison. These crimes include first/second degree murder; assault with the intent to commit murder; forcible assault on corrections staff; possession of controlled substances with the intent to distribute; sexual assault of an inmate by staff; possession of contraband; receipt of a bribe by a public official; and deprivation of civil rights under the color of law.
The efforts by federal law enforcement recently culminated in a March 2024 operation at the prison that resulted in the recovery of contraband (cellphones, homemade weapons, and controlled substances). At least two inmates and a visitor to the facility have been charged as a result of that operation.
Among the individuals prosecuted for offenses at the prison since 2021 are the following:
David Lee Bishop, an inmate, was sentenced to life in prison on May 23, 2024, for second-degree murder. According to court documents, on February 3, 2019, Bishop strangled his cellmate to death using a torn bedsheet. When correctional officers discovered his cellmate’s body, Bishop immediately admitted to the murder. At the time of the offense, Bishop was serving another life sentence for murder.
Fiona Eyana Palmer, a former correctional officer, was sentenced on July 24, 2023, to 15 months in federal prison for sexual abuse of an inmate. According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Palmer engaged in sexual acts with an inmate at the prison between January 2018 and March 2019. In recorded phone calls, Palmer discussed the sexual acts and offered to send money to one of the inmate’s relatives. She also directed the inmate to lie to federal investigators about their relationship.
John Jones, an inmate, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on January 11, 2023, for assaulting a federal correctional officer with a deadly weapon and possessing contraband in a federal penitentiary. According to court documents, Jones was serving a life sentence for two first-degree murder convictions when he stabbed his cellmate using a six-and-a-half-inch bladed weapon. When a correctional officer responded to the attack, Jones lunged at the officer multiple times while clutching the weapon. Jones later admitted that he intended to kill his cellmate.
Wayne Grant, Jr., a former correctional officer, was sentenced in December 2021 to one year and eight months in prison for receiving a bribe as a public official. According to court documents, Grant agreed to smuggle methamphetamine into the prison for an inmate in exchange for money. Grant unwittingly began communicating with an undercover agent to complete the transaction. After receiving approximately 70 grams of fake methamphetamine and $2,000 in money orders from investigators, Grant attempted to deposit the money into his bank account.
Miguel Hidalgo, a correctional officer, was charged in April 2024 with deprivation of an inmate’s civil rights under the color of law. According to court records, on August 31, 2022, while acting under color of law, Hidalgo assaulted an inmate by repeatedly striking the inmate in the head and chest area, resulting in bodily injury. Hidalgo’s case in pending trial in September 2024.
Jesse Wooden, an inmate, and Janai Chanal Stephens, a visitor to the prison, are charged in connection with the March 2024 operation. In an indictment returned in May 2024, Wooden is charged with possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of contraband (assorted controlled substances). Stephens is charged with making a false statement to a federal correctional officer and attempting to provide a prohibited object (tobacco) to an inmate (Wooden). The case is pending trial. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
The federal agencies involved in the investigation of criminal cases at FCC Coleman include the Bureau of Prisons, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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