“The defendant took an oath to enforce the law and protect those in her care. Instead, she abused her position for her own financial gain,” aid Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
TERRE HAUTE – Jordan Kelsheimer, 25, of Blanford, Indiana, has been sentenced to 8 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to accepting a bribe as a public official.
According to court documents, beginning in 2019, Jordan Kelsheimer was employed with the United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, as a Corrections Officer. At the time of the offense, Kelsheimer was employed at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana.
For weeks, Kelsheimer had been smuggling tobacco into the facility, which is prohibited for inmate use in federal prisons. On July 17, 2022, staff found eight packs of Newport cigarettes and a stack of love letters from the inmate. Kelsheimer admitted in an interview on July 18, 2022, that she had been bringing in Newport cigarettes and getting paid $400 per carton by an inmate’s relative via CashApp. Electronic records showed that she made $5,140 total in 15 separate payments.
Upon further investigation and interviewed, various inmates reported that they had repeatedly observed Kelsheimer in intimate contact with the inmate in and near her office within the housing unit where she was assigned and reported that the contact included kissing and, on occasion, more intimate contact.
“The defendant took an oath to enforce the law and protect those in her care. Instead, she abused her position for her own financial gain—risking the health and safety of her fellow correctional officers and the facility’s inmates,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Public service is a public trust, especially for those entrusted with positions in corrections and law enforcement. The vast majority of corrections officers serve with honesty and integrity, and those who instead choose to break the law themselves must be held accountable. Our office is committed to working closely with the FBI and DOJ-OIG to root out all forms of corruption or abuse in our federal prisons.”
FBI and Department of Justice- Office of Inspector General’s Chicago Field Office investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge James P. Hanlon. Judge Hanlon also ordered that Kelsheimer be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 2 years following her release from federal prison and pay a $500 fine.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney James M. Warden, who prosecuted this case.
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