PHILADELPHIA, PA — United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced the sentencing of Lee E. Moore, Jr., a former correctional officer from Sicklerville, New Jersey, who was found guilty of smuggling mobile phones into the Federal Detention Center (FDC) in Philadelphia. Moore, aged 36, received a sentence of three years probation, including six months of home detention, and was fined $5,000 by United States Magistrate Judge Scott W. Reid on Thursday.
Moore’s misconduct took place during his tenure as a correctional officer at the FDC from August 2016 to June 2023. The infractions occurred between May and June 2020, when Moore illicitly brought mobile phones into the detention center. He accepted payments from the wife of an inmate in exchange for facilitating the smuggling operation. Additionally, in June 2020, Moore attempted to engage a second inmate in a similar scheme, offering to bring in contraband or provide special favors for financial compensation.
U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero emphasized the severity of Moore’s actions, stating, “Correctional officers have a tough enough job without having to deal with inmates who have access to smuggled contraband. Lee Moore put his fellow COs and the public at risk by smuggling cell phones into the FDC for a price. But the price for breaking his law enforcement oath is much higher: he’s lost his job and now has a federal conviction on his record.”
Echoing these concerns, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia, highlighted the impact of Moore’s breaches on the correctional system’s integrity. “When a corrections officer chooses greed over integrity, it undermines the hard work and dedication their colleagues put forward every day to ensure a safe environment inside our detention centers. The FBI and our partners reaffirm our commitment to holding accountable those in the corrections system who abuse their positions of trust,” Jacobs stated.
The investigation into Moore’s activities was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Detention Center, with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorney Vineet Gauri.
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