TAMPA, Florida — Dekarri Nixon, a 28-year-old from Jasper, has pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe as a public official.
Nixon faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison, and the government is seeking forfeiture of $4,000, the amount he obtained by accepting the bribe, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. A sentencing hearing has not yet been set.
Court documents reveal that Nixon worked as a correctional officer at the Citrus County Detention Facility, where he supervised federal inmates awaiting trial and sentencing. Nixon agreed to receive $4,000 in exchange for smuggling a cellphone into the facility, a violation of his official duties. The introduction of contraband, such as cellphones, into secure detention facilities poses a security risk to both those inside and outside the facility…