A former deputy with the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) has pleaded guilty in connection to a scheme involving bribes and smuggling contraband, including drugs, into the county jail.
Robert Theodore Sanford Jr., 37, brought cocaine, fentanyl and the opioid addiction-treatment medication Suboxone to an inmate in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center from December 2022 through May 2023, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Prosecutors say Sanford acquired the drugs from “associates” of the inmate, who then trafficked them to other inmates. He also smuggled in a cell phone and helped conceal the contraband by supplying latex gloves and glue and tipping the inmate off to upcoming searches.
From the press release:
Sanford provided the inmate with information such as advance warning of cell searches by deputies, cell blocks to which deputies were proceeding in those searches, whether deputies would be conducting strip searches, and where drug-sniffing dogs were being utilized. Sanford also provided the inmate with information regarding other inmates, including which inmates might be providing information to law enforcement, which assisted Sanford’s co-conspirator in intimidating potential witnesses.
In addition to bringing drugs into the jail, Sanford distributed drugs to women who lived in and engaged in sex work out of an apartment that he leased, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says.
The scheme was uncovered by other deputies who found some of the contraband during a strip search of the inmate working with Sanford on May 4, 2023, according to prosecutors. The recovered items included 92 counterfeit oxycodone pills, 174 strips of Suboxone, over three grams of cocaine, the cellphone and charging equipment.
Per the press release and court documents, Sanford learned about the seizure the following day and removed his name and email address from a CashApp account that he used to accept at least $1,630 in bribes.
“He also stopped sending messages and making calls to the inmate and other conspirators and deleted related messages,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “Within two weeks of FCSO discovering the contraband, Sanford began the process of resigning from his job.”
According to prosecutors, he told the sheriff’s office that he had to resign due to “childcare challenges,” but he refused a new work schedule that the FCSO offered to accommodate his needs.
“As soon as the conspiracy was discovered it was fully investigated by the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office and turned over to the FBI and the Eastern District of Virginia for prosecution,” the FCSO said in a statement. “The Sheriff’s Office took all measures necessary to ensure that this criminal conduct was investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Sanford was charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and suboxone and with providing contraband in prison. He pleaded guilty to both charges.
Sanford is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on Sept. 18. Potential maximum penalties include 20 years in prison and up to $1.25 million in fines, according to the plea agreement.
