A former federal correctional officer from Ocala admitted in court to sexually abusing an inmate and taking bribes to smuggle drugs and cellphones into a central Florida prison facility.
Cornelius Alexander Thompson, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual abuse of a ward in federal custody and one count of receipt of a bribe by a public official, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. Thompson faces up to 15 years in federal prison on each count. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.
Court records show Thompson was employed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County. Between January 2020 and August 2023, he engaged in a sexual act with a federal inmate who was under his direct custodial and disciplinary authority…