Three charged for prison phone smuggling

A San Quentin State Prison guard and two others faced federal charges this week in a plot to smuggle phones to inmates on Death Row, prosecutors and investigators say.

The accused are correctional officer Keith Christopher, 37, of Pittsburg; Isaiah Wells, 32, of Tracy; and Tanisa SmithSymes, 45, of Las Vegas, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of California.

Prosecutors allege that Smith-Symes and a Death Row inmate with whom she had a relationship worked together to obtain cell phones and send them to Wells. He then sent the phones to Christopher, who smuggled them into San Quentin’s East Block, where Death Row inmates are housed, according to an FBI complaint filed after an investigation was conducted.

Inmates are prohibited from having cell phones, which are contraband under state law and create safety risks for prison employees and inmates, the news release said.

The Death Row inmate working with Smith-Symes sold at least 25 phones to fellow inmates for up to $900 each, the complaint alleged. Prosecutors say Smith-Symes also sent bribery payments to Christopher through Wells and others appointed to receive the payments. The complaint alleges that Christopher charged $500 for each phone he smuggled into San Quentin.

Christopher, Smith-Symes and Wells are all being charged with one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud using interstate wires, prosecutors said.

Christopher and Wells appeared in federal court in San Francisco on Wednesday and were released on bond, the news release said. They are scheduled to return to court Sept. 17. Smith-Symes was arrested Wednesday and was scheduled to appear in court Thursday in Las Vegas, prosecutors said.

If convicted, each faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.