BEAUMONT, Texas – A federal prison chaplain pleaded guilty to bribery in the Eastern District of Texas, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Eric Patrick pleaded guilty to charges of bribery of a public official before a U.S. magistrate judge.
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In July 2015, investigators at the U.S. Penitentiary in Beaumont seized two gallon bags of tobacco and rolling papers from inmates at the prison, according to information presented in court.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said an investigation revealed Patrick was smuggling tobacco and cigarettes into the prison for inmates while employed by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons as a chaplain at the prison.
Patrick set up several scam post office boxes and charged inmates $1,500 in each instance to facilitate the scheme, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Under federal statutes, Patrick faces up to 15 years in federal prison at sentencing. The U.S. Attorney's Office said the maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress and is provided for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.