ATLANTA — A former federal correctional officer was convicted of bribery, smuggling and participating in a drug conspiracy at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Patrick Shackelford took bribes and worked with inmates to get drugs and other contraband inside the federal prison.
A jury convicted him on April 2.
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“Instead of fulfilling his duty to safeguard a federal prison, Shackelford took bribes from inmates to facilitate their smuggling of large quantities of methamphetamine and other contraband for distribution to other inmates,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a statement, adding Shackelford betrayed his oath and endangered his colleagues and inmates at the prison.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Shackelford “used an elaborate scheme” involving visitors to the prison to smuggle contraband in through a secret hole in the visitation area.
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Officials said Shackelford worked as a federal correctional officer and plumbing supervisor at the Atlanta penitentiary, managing a crew of inmate plumbers including James Hughes.
Between June 2018 to February 2019, Shackelford, Hughes, and fellow federal inmates Patrick Kirkman and Mitchell Arms, among others, smuggled banned items and narcotics, including methamphetamine and marijuana, into USP-Atlanta, which was a medium-security prison at the time.
Using their work as plumbers at the prison, Shackelford and the inmates used a sledgehammer and a power drill to “create large passageways into” a hidden room and voided area in order to sneak in the contraband items. Then, the area was concealed with a metal plate.
Shackelford also took thousands of dollars in bribes to pass contraband on to inmates inside the penitentiary, at least $30,000.
Prison officials found a batch of contraband in the plumbing office ceiling in February 2019, according to USAO. Inside, officials found dozens of packages containing drugs, tobacco and cell phones.
Officials said it was one of the largest contraband recoveries in the facility’s history.
Shackelford faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 20.
Three of the inmates involved in the conspiracy pled guilty, according to federal officials:
- Patrick Kirkman, 39, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, pled guilty to federal bribery on February 11, 2026.
- Mitchell Arms, 45, of Columbia, Tennessee, pled guilty to possessing, obtaining, or attempting to obtain a prohibited object in federal prison, namely, methamphetamine, on June 18, 2024.
- James Hughes, 48, of Etowah, Tennessee, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to provide and possess prohibited objects in a federal prison, including methamphetamine, marijuana, and cellular phones, on October 7, 2023.
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