This morning, FBI agents arrested a Fulton County Sheriff’s Deputy along with three Fulton County detention officers at the Fulton County County Jail. They were immediately taken to the FBI’s Atlanta headquarters and will appear before a federal magistrate judge later this afternoon. The four have been indicted in federal court on 11 counts ranging from extortion to possession of marijuana and cocaine with intent to distribute.
Those indicted include Brian Shelby Anthony, Keithan Henri James, Aqeel Mushin Rasheed and Robert Lee Swain Jr. Authorities expect a fifth person will also be indicted. The U.S. Attorney’s Office believes that the four conspired to distribute approximately 15 kilos of cocaine between May and June of this year. The indictment also alleges that Anthony used his position to obtain $27,000 and attempted to distribute hundreds of kilos of cocaine and marijuana.
Anonymous sources have indicated that at least one officer was arrested with a cell phone, which is not allowed within the jail, and that a medical employee may have been arrested as well. According to a former Fulton County Jail official, the FBI initiated an investigation as early as last fall into contraband smuggling by officers and deputies within the jail.
Just one week ago, inmate Kortez Hurt shot another inmate in the hand with a small gun that had been smuggled into the jail. The shooting occurred in the jail’s seventh floor maximum security area. Following the shooting, the small gun, nearly 20 cellphones, and bags of marijuana were discovered hidden in a ceiling panel.
