FBI: 7 charged in bribery scheme at Lee County Correctional Institution

LEE COUNTY, S.C. (WOLO)– Officials with the FBI say seven people in the Midlands are facing charges in connection with a Department of Corrections bribery scheme.

Among those charged, Lowanda Atkinson, a former corrections officer at Lee County Correctional Institution.

According to court documents, Atkinson accepted more than $550,000 in bribes from two inmates and their families to smuggle contraband into the jail that would in-turn be sold to other inmates.

FBI officials say each defendant faces up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.