BOP Correctional Officer Arrested After Being Indicted for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, False Statement, and Obstruction of Justice

On November 22, 2021, a BOP Correctional Officer assigned to the Federal Detention Center in Seattle/Tacoma, Washington, was arrested following an Indictment charging him with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, one count of false statement, and one count of obstruction of justice associated with witness tampering.  Joshua Shuemake was indicted in the Western District of Washington on November 17, 2021.  According to the Indictment, on or about June 18, 2021, Shuemake, knowing he was subject to a court order issued on May 4, 2021, in King County Superior Court, which met the requirements of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8)(A)-(C) (i.e., a restraining order related to an intimate partner), knowingly possessed, in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce, a firearm.  Additionally, according to the Indictment, on or about June 18, 2021, Shuemake made a false statement for the purpose of concealing his possession of a firearm, when he falsely told a BOP Special Investigative Agent that he was living with a coworker.  Further, according to the Indictment, from on or about June 18, 2021, through on or about October 13, 2021, Shuemake attempted to corruptly persuade, and did corruptly persuade, another person to provide false information and withhold true information concerning Shuemake’s possession of a firearm.  The investigation is being conducted by the OIG’s Seattle Domicile Office and the FBI, with forensic assistance from the OIG’s Cyber Investigations Office.