FCC Petersburg corrections officer pleads guilty to taking bribes

RICHMOND, Va. – The final defendant in a bribery conspiracy within the Federal Correctional Complex at Petersburg, Virginia (FCC Petersburg), pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to solicit and accept a bribe by a public official.

According to court documents, Daniel Thomas, 37, of Colonial Heights, Virginia, has been a correctional officer at FCC Petersburg since February 2015, leading a prisoner work detail as a Pipe Fitter Supervisor. William R. Hall, 49, of Lexington, Kentucky, was a prisoner assigned to Thomas’ work detail from June 29, 2022, until he was transferred to FCC Fort Dix, New Jersey, on Nov. 17, 2022.

During the time Hall was assigned to Thomas’ work detail, Hall paid bribes to Thomas through Kayla Cronin, 29, who was Hall’s associate from Lexington. In exchange, Thomas provided contraband, including tobacco products and anabolic steroids, to Hall in prison. Hall then sold contraband to other prisoners. Hall transferred proceeds from those sales to Cronin through an intermediary. Cronin would then send bribes to Thomas by mail through the U.S. Postal Service, keeping some of the money for herself. Hall directed Cronin by coded conversations.

On Oct. 25, 2023, Cronin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 9. On April 5, Hall pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11. Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced on July 18. Each defendant faces up to five years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Russell W. Cunningham, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Mid-Atlantic Region, made the announcement after Magistrate Judge Summer L. Speight accepted the plea. The cases are assigned to Senior U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Avi Panth and Robert Day are prosecuting these cases.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 3:24-cr-36, 3:24-cr-18, and 3:23-cr-132.