McALLEN, Texas (CN) - A former federal corrections officer was arrested on charges of taking a cash bribe to smuggle a cellphone to a prison inmate, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Jorge Sandoval, 21, of Pharr is charged with taking a bribe while working under authority of the U.S. Marshals Service as a corrections officer, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.
Sandoval is accused of taking the bribe while he worked at the East Hidalgo Detention Center in La Villa, Texas, a 900-bed prison that houses federal and local offenders.
The prison is run by LCS Corrections Services, which describes itself as "the largest privately held private corrections company in the United States."
If convicted, Sandoval faces up to 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
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