Former California Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Accepting Bribes

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Stephen Joseph Crittenden, 44, of Suisun City, pleaded guilty today to bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Crittenden was a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation correctional officer at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville. From 2021 through 2023, he accepted bribes, totaling more than $45,000, from inmates to smuggle cellphones into the California Medical Facility.

Crittenden is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 12, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley. Crittenden faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas M. Fogg is prosecuting the case.