Federal Correctional Officer Indicted for Receiving a Bribe and Providing Contraband to A Federal Prisoner

Ocala, Florida - Weston Burney (34, Webster) has been charged by federal indictment with one count of receipt of a bribe by a public official and one count of providing contraband to a federal prisoner. If convicted, Burney faces a maximum penalty of 15 years' imprisonment for the bribery offense and up to 10 years for the contraband offense. The indictment also notifies Burney that the United States intends to forfeit any property, real or personal, which constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to proceeds to the alleged offense. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment, between February and June 2025, Burney, a public official, employed by the U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) accepted monies in return for smuggling contraband into the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in violation of his official duties as a correctional officer.

During this time, Burney provided contraband, namely tobacco and Methyl 3,3-dimethyl-2-(1-(pent-4-en-1-yl)-1H-indazole-3-carboxamido) butanoate (MDMB-4en-PINACA), a Schedule I controlled substance, to an inmate at the federal prison in return for monetary payments.

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.

This case is being investigated by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Angela Moon Palacios.