Guard, inmate facing contraband charges

CLEVELAND — A prison guard from Youngstown and a federal prison inmate have been indicted by a federal grand jury here on charges of conspiracy to introduce contraband into the prison system.

Cametrius Shelton, of Youngstown, was employed as a guard at the Elkton Federal Correctional Institution when the crimes took place between Oct. 1, 2006, and July 14, 2007, according to Gregory A. White, United States attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

His co-defendant, Adrian Ayers, was an inmate at Federal Correctional Institution in Elkton in Columbiana County during that period, according to White, who said that a five-count indictment was handed down against the pair Feb. 5. They were arraigned Monday.

The indictment charges that Shelton and Ayers participated in a scheme in which Shelton would bring Ayers contraband, including, but not limited to, cell phones, MP3 players and cigarettes.

In return, an associate of Ayers who wasn’t in prison would send Shelton checks and wire transfers.

The investigation determined that Ayers and his associates sent Shelton at least $8,000 to buy and smuggle in contraband, White said.

The case was investigated by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice. Duncan T. Brown of the Cleveland U.S. attorney’s office is prosecuting.