Ocala, Florida – Michael Jason Brooks (37, Citra) has been sentenced by United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber to one year and one day in federal prison for receiving a bribe as a public official and providing contraband to a federal inmate. Brooks pleaded guilty on November 12, 2025. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court records, on June 12, 2024, Brooks was employed by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, as a correctional officer at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County. He knowingly and corruptly sought and agreed to receive and accept a bribe of $3,000 in return for smuggling 177.1 grams of loose tobacco into the federal prison for an inmate. Federal inmates are prohibited from obtaining and possessing tobacco in prison as it is contraband.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Middle District of Florida — U.S. Department of Justice press release.