A supervisor who controlled security at a South Carolina prison took more than $219,000 in bribes over three years to obtain 173 contraband cellphones for inmates, federal prosecutors say. .
Christine Mary Livingston, 46, was indicted earlier this month on 15 charges including bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering.
Livingston worked for the South Carolina Department of Corrections for 16 years. She was promoted to captain at Broad River Correctional Facility in 2016 and put in charge of security at the medium-security Columbia prison, investigators said.
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Livingston conspired with inmate Jerrell Reeves, 33, to accept bribes of cell phones and other contraband accessories. They will be charged between $1,000 and $7,000 per cell phone using the smartphone Cash App money transfer program, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday.
Federal prosecutors said Mr. Reeves was known as Hell Rel and Mr. Livingston was known as the Queen of Hell Rel.
If convicted, both men could face up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and orders to repay any illegally earned money.
Reeves is serving a 15-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter in the 2015 shooting death of a man at a Marion County convenience store.
Lawyers for Mr. Livingston and Mr. Reeves did not respond to emails Friday.
Contraband cell phones in South Carolina prisons have been a long-standing problem. Corrections Commissioner Brian Sterling said inmates have run drug rings, fraud schemes and even ordered murders from behind bars.
A South Carolina prison supervisor is accused of accepting more than $219,000 in bribes and providing 173 contraband cell phones to inmates.
The riot that killed seven inmates at Lee Correctional Facility in 2018 was sparked by cell phones.
“This woman has broken the public trust of South Carolinians and made our prisons less safe for inmates, staff, and the community. We will never allow our staff or staff to bring contraband into our prisons. I’m glad to be held accountable.” Mr. Sterling said in his statement.
A South Carolina prison has asked federal authorities for permission to jam cell phone signals inside the prison, but has not been granted permission.
Although it recently succeeded in developing a device that identifies all cell phones in prisons, allowing employees to request that cell phone companies block unauthorized numbers, Stirling’s agency has There is not enough funding to expand beyond the prison pilot program.
In January, Sterling released a video of a disgruntled prisoner who lost his phone calling a tech support hotline and asking staff, “How can I get my phone working again?” Posted. He was then told he needed to call the Department of Corrections hotline.
From July 2022 to June 2023, state prison officials committed 2,179 violations against inmates possessing prohibited communication devices, and since 2015, more than 35,000 cell phones have been discovered. Ta. There are approximately 16,000 inmates in the prison system.
Rather than include cell phones in a broader category of contraband, Mr. Stirling specified that their use in prisons is illegal, with an additional sentence of up to one year for possession of an illegal cell phone, and up to five He called on the General Assembly to pass a bill that would allow for multiple prison sentences. Several years for second offense.
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The bill has not passed the Senate Judiciary Committee.
