Philly Prison Guard Admits To Drug Smuggling Scheme, Bribery

PHILADELPHIA — A former correctional officer at a Philadelphia prison admitted to a contraband trafficking scheme at his former workplace.

Khalif Workman, 32, pleaded guilty to charges relating to his role in a prison contraband trafficking scheme while working as a correctional officer at Riverside Correctional Facility in 2021.

Workman pleaded guilty to manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance; dealing in proceeds of unlawful activities; conspiracy; and bribery, all felony charges.

The investigation in this case began when a correctional officer, acting on a tip, uncovered over 100 grams of narcotics during the search of a person's cell who was being held in pre-trial detention. An iPhone was also recovered in the course of the search.

A Philadelphia Police Detective then got a search warrant for the phone and recovered text messages, call histories, photographs and videos of purchased narcotics, and more. This evidence revealed the contraband scheme.

The inmate purchased narcotics through various CashApp accounts and then notified a woman outside the facility to pick them up; the woman then notified Workman that the contraband was ready for transport into the prison.

During the conspiracy, Workman got 15 bribes worth more than $23,000 for his role in the scheme.

Through a careful analysis of his banking activity, investigators also discovered that he used these funds to buy a property in Philadelphia.

He was arrested in September 2022 following a presentment issued by the Thirty-First Philadelphia County Investigating Grand Jury two months prior.

Workman was sentenced to one and a half to three years of state incarceration by the Hon. Lucretia Clemons on Sept. 26.