Source: US FBI
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Tanita Ellis, 46, of Fitzgerald, Georgia was sentenced to 15 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to possessing methamphetamine in prison. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “The defendant clearly didn’t learn her lesson after being convicted of peddling this poison on our streets, and she attempted to continue her criminal conduct in prison. Thanks to the diligent work of our correctional staff at this Federal Correctional Institute, she was stopped from sneaking these drugs into the prison, and now she’ll face an extended sentence. My office will continue to work closely with our federal partners to keep our prison facilities safe and free of illegal contraband.”
According to court records, the defendant was returning from a visit with family members when she was searched by corrections officers. A 2.5-inch-long shard of methamphetamine was located on her person.
“The FBI is committed to working with the correctional staff at FCI Tallahassee to aggressively pursue inmates who introduce and possess contraband in the facility,” said Jason Carley, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “This sentencing should serve as a stark warning to all inmates that possessing drugs in prison, whether for personal use or for distribution, is not worth the added prison time.”
The conviction and sentence were the result of a joint investigation by the FBI and the Bureau of Prisons Special Investigative Services Unit. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric W. Welch.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.