According to federal prosecutors, a supervisor responsible for security at a prison in South Carolina allegedly accepted over $219,000 in bribes over a span of three years. In addition to the bribes, the supervisor also managed to obtain 173 contraband cellphones for inmates.
Christine Mary Livingston, 46, is facing indictment on 15 charges, which include bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud, and money laundering. The indictment was issued earlier this month.
Livingston dedicated 16 years of her career to serving the South Carolina Department of Corrections. In 2016, she achieved a significant milestone when she was promoted to the position of captain at Broad River Correctional Institution. This promotion bestowed upon her the responsibility of overseeing security at the medium-security facility located in Columbia. Investigators have confirmed the pivotal role she played in maintaining the safety and order within the prison.
Livingston collaborated with inmate Jerell Reaves, aged 33, to receive bribes in exchange for cellphones and other prohibited accessories. As per the federal indictment unveiled on Thursday, they would acquire sums ranging from $1,000 to $7,000 through the Cash App money transfer program for the purchase of a phone.
According to federal prosecutors, Reaves was famously referred to as Hell Rell while Livingston was recognized as Hell Rell’s Queen.
If found guilty, both individuals could potentially face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, along with a hefty fine of $250,000. Additionally, they would be required to repay any illicitly obtained funds.
Reaves was convicted and is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence for the crime of voluntary manslaughter. This offense occurred in 2015 when he shot a man at a convenience store in Marion County.
The emails sent to Lawyers for Livingston and Reaves on Friday remained unanswered.
Contraband cellphones have posed a persistent challenge in South Carolina prisons. According to Corrections Director Bryan Stirling, inmates have been engaging in various illegal activities, including running drug rings, carrying out fraud schemes, and even orchestrating homicides from within their cells.
The use of cellphones fueled a deadly riot at Lee Correctional Institution in 2018, resulting in the deaths of seven inmates.
“This woman has shattered the public trust in South Carolina, compromising the safety of our prisons for both inmates, staff, and the community. We have zero tolerance for officers and employees who engage in the smuggling of contraband into our correctional facilities, and I am relieved that she is being held accountable,” stated Stirling.
The South Carolina prison system has been appealing to federal officials to grant them permission to jam cellphone signals within prisons, but so far, their request has been denied.
They recently achieved success with a device that can detect and identify all cellphones present within prison grounds. This device enables employees to request mobile phone carriers to block unauthorized numbers. However, due to insufficient funding, Stirling’s agency has not been able to expand this program beyond a pilot phase in one prison.
In January, Stirling shared a video featuring an exasperated inmate reaching out to a tech support hotline after his phone stopped functioning. The inmate asked the worker, “What can I do to get it turned back on?” To his dismay, he was informed that he needed to contact the Corrections Department hotline for assistance.
Between July 2022 and June 2023, inmates within the state prison system were found in possession of banned communication devices on 2,179 occasions. Over the course of the past six years, more than 35,000 cellphones have been discovered, despite the fact that the prison system houses approximately 16,000 inmates.
Stirling has been advocating for the General Assembly to pass a bill that specifically addresses the issue of cellphones in prisons. Instead of categorizing them as general contraband, the bill aims to explicitly declare them illegal. Additionally, the bill proposes the possibility of extending the sentence by up to an additional year for those found in possession of an illegal phone, and up to five years for repeat offenders.
Unfortunately, the bill has not been able to progress beyond the Senate Judiciary Committee.
