Defendants sentenced for bribery scheme at IDOC prison

Three defendants have been sentenced for their roles in a bribery scheme uncovered by an FBI investigation at Idaho Department of Correction’s (“IDOC”) request to address concerns of corruption among IDOC correction officers, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced.

On March 7, 2019, Senior U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge sentenced former IDOC correctional officer Joshua Barney, 44, to 15 months in prison for smuggling in contraband to former IDOC inmate Collin McIntyre.

Also on March 7, 2019, Judge Lodge sentenced McIntyre, 27, to 12 months in prison. Judge Lodge ordered that Barney and McIntyre be placed on supervised release for three years following their prison sentences.

The third defendant was sentenced on March 6, 2019. Judge Lodge sentenced Tiffany Culbertson, 23, who, at the time, was McIntyre’s girlfriend and who gave Barney the bribe money from McIntyre, to a three‑year term of probation with six weekends to be spent in jail.

All three defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act extortion under official color of right.

According to court records, Culbertson agreed with McIntyre to pay Barney, a correctional officer at IDOC, to bring in contraband in exchange for money. The defendants then followed through with the plan. On one occasion, Culbertson purchased smokeless tobacco and delivered it to Barney, along with a bribe payment. Barney then brought the tobacco into the prison and delivered it to McIntyre, which was prohibited under IDOC policies. At a later date, Culbertson provided a cell phone to Barney, who brought it into the prison and gave it to McIntyre.

This case was investigated by the FBI and IDOC’s Special Investigations Unit.