A former corrections officer with the Alabama Department of Corrections has been sentenced to prison for accepting bribes. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona.
John Paul Ketteman, 28, from Huntsville, received a 15-month prison sentence from U.S. District Judge Liles C. Burke. He was convicted of receipt of a bribe by an agent of an organization that receives federal funds.
According to the plea agreement, Ketteman worked at the Limestone Correctional Facility in Harvest, Alabama. His responsibilities included inspecting cells for contraband and supervising inmates. In fall 2022, the Law Enforcement Services Division of the Alabama Department of Corrections began investigating reports that officers were smuggling contraband into Limestone Correctional Facility.
Investigators obtained records from Ketteman’s Cash App account as part of their inquiry. These records showed that over less than three months in 2022, he received more than $10,000 in exchange for smuggling contraband and serving as a lookout within the facility.
The investigation was led by the FBI and United States Secret Service, with assistance from ADOC’s Law Enforcement Services Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney John M. Hundscheid prosecuted the case.
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