Prison Guard Pleads Guilty To Smuggling Contraband
A Montana State Prison guard pleaded guilty Wednesday to smuggling contraband to inmates, telling a judge that he sneaked marijuana and cigarettes into the Deer Lodge prison 20 times over the course of about a year. In return, associates of the inmates sent 25-year-old Martin Reap payments through the mail or by wire transfer to Walmart. Reap told U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon that he took between $6,300 and $6,500 for the contraband he smuggled into the prison.
Haddon accepted Reap’s guilty plea and set a sentencing date of Oct. 18. As part of a plea agreement, federal prosecutors plan to drop additional charges of drug conspiracy, possession and distribution, and will recommend a lighter sentence than the maximum 10-year prison sentence the bribery charge calls for. Prosecutors also could move for an even lighter sentence if he continues to cooperate with the investigation, according to the plea agreement.