A 35-year-old Susanville resident and former federal correctional officer pleaded guilty August 6th, to one count of distributing methamphetamine at the Federal Correctional Institution in Herlong, announced U.S. Attorney Eric Grant.
According to court documents, Antonio Ray Ramirez knowingly distributed 869 grams of methamphetamine and 127 grams of heroin inside FCI Herlong in August 2024 while employed as a correctional officer.
Prosecutors stated that Ramirez smuggled the narcotics into the facility at the start of an overnight shift after evading security screening. He then hid the contraband in a laundry room and instructed an inmate on where to retrieve it.
Ramirez received $15,000 in payment for smuggling the drugs, which were later discovered and recovered from the inmate by other correctional staff.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dhruv M. Sharma and Nicholas Fogg are prosecuting the case.
Ramirez is scheduled to be sentenced on January 21st, 2027, by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta. He faces a statutory maximum penalty of life in federal prison along with a fine of up to $10 million. The actual sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court pursuant to federal sentencing guidelines and statutory factors.
