Sumter County Jail Guard Receives 3-Year Sentence for Taking Bribes and Sneaking Drugs into Facility

SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. – A federal correctional officer in Sumter County received a sentence of three years and one month in federal prison for accepting bribes as a public official and delivering contraband to a federal prisoner, as indicated by court documents.

Authorities reported that Samuel Smith, who was employed as a correctional officer at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County, admitted guilt in February 2025 after he was caught smuggling 668 grams of marijuana into the prison.

A Department of Justice investigation revealed Smith was stealthily bringing the drugs into the facility for over eight months to distribute to inmates, concealing them in his duty vest from Dec. 18, 2023, to Sept. 4, 2024.

Along with the prison sentence, the court also ordered Smith to forfeit $43,901, which represents the amount of money he received in bribes.