Several Hays inmates indicted on fed charges

They are accused of drug trafficking and bribery

Prisons should be a place of rehabilitation, not a place to continue committing crimes.”

Three Hays State Prison inmates alongside a Valdosta State Prison inmate and an accomplice have all been indicted on federal drug trafficking and bribery charges.

Jeffery Deroy Lewis, an inmate at Valdosta State Prison, along with Octavius Henry, Alexis Jay Stokley, and Khalid Eugene Mouton, inmates at Hays State Prison, and an accomplice, Jessica Corley Stokley, are charged with conspiring to smuggle narcotics into Hay State Prison by bribing corrections officer Voltaire Peter Pierre.

“These inmates allegedly smuggled drugs and other contraband into the prison, putting guards and fellow inmates in danger,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “By using hidden cellphones to coordinate with conspirators, they sent and received payments via payment apps and prepaid cards, and allegedly bribed at least one prison official to allow illegal drugs to enter the prison community.”

According to Erskine, the charges and other information presented in court:

The group smuggled methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana, along with other contraband into Hays State Prison from June 2018 through October 2018.

Using contraband cell phones and coded email messages sent via the prison email system they arranged for drugs and other contraband to be dropped at the home of Pierre, a Hays State Prison corrections officer who later smuggled the packages into prison.

Chris Hacker, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta.

The inmates then transmitted drug payments and bribe payments to Pierre through a combination of prepaid debit cards and a payment app.

Pierre pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamine, crack cocaine and marijuana on October 17, 2019.

Lewis, 30, of Atlanta; Henry, 33, of Atlanta; Alexis Stokley, 41, of Atlanta; and Jessica Stokley, 38, of Atlanta, were arraigned on March 9, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Walter E. Johnson on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit bribery after being indicted by a federal grand jury on Feb. 16.

Khalid Eugene Mouton, 42, of Atlanta, is pending arraignment.

“Prisons should be a place of rehabilitation, not a place to continue committing crimes,” said Chris Hacker, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta. “Illegal cellphones have emboldened inmates and their associates to engage in criminal conduct, sometimes with the help of law enforcement officials. It threatens both inmates and staff, and the FBI will pursue these investigations no matter who is involved.”

“These defendants being charged demonstrate the collaborative efforts of state and federal partners to dismantle this conspiracy,” said Vic Reynolds, Director, Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a release. “The officer violated his oath and the public’s trust by contributing to this criminal activity within the prison system.”