Non-DOJ Individual Pleads Guilty to False Statements and Introduction of Contraband

On January 24, 2025, a non-DOJ individual pleaded guilty to making a false statement to a federal agency and providing contraband to a federal prisoner. Janai Chanel Stephens was previously indicted in the Middle District of Florida. According to the factual statement in support of the plea, Stephens knowingly and willfully made a false statement to a Corrections Officer that she did not have any tobacco in her possession upon entering the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex (FCC). Stephens also knowingly and willingly provided or attempted to provide a prohibited object, namely tobacco cigarettes, to an inmate. The investigation is being conducted jointly by the DEA’s Gainesville, Florida Office and the OIG’s Miami Office. This case is being prosecuted as part of a DOJ task force aimed at rooting out contraband and misconduct in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).