Guard pleads guilty to smuggling items

A federal prison guard from Houston pleaded guilty to bribery on Monday after he smuggled everything from food to marijuana into the Joe Corley Detention Facility in Conroe.

Agents started investigating 28-year-old Jacoby Derrell Randall in the beginning of 2017, after months of probing repeated allegations of contraband smuggling — though his lawyer on Monday called it all a setup.

“Mr. Randall has a record of perfect citizenship, before and after this,” said attorney Edward Mallett, adding that his client “was set up by an ex-convict that organized bank robberies and remains in federal jail, and who, in December or January when he gets sentenced, expects leniency for the setup.”

In January, federal investigators interviewed an inmate being held on drug charges and learned that Randall had snuck in food facility six times for $100 a pop.

On a seventh occasion, the jailer brought in an MP3 player for $200, according to court documents.

In recorded calls and through social media chats, Randall talked with the inmate’s connections on the outside to set up other smuggling efforts, at one point taking hundreds of dollars in down payments toward a smart watch.

Randall’s sentencing is set for Feb. 12 in front of U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes. He’s facing up to 15 years in federal prison plus a possible $250,000 fine. Randall was allowed to stay out on bond until his next court date.