The guard took bribes from inmates; now he’s going to prison

A former prison guard convicted of smuggling tobacco into Leavenworth Penitentiary for inmates in exchange for money was sentenced Monday to three years in federal prison.

Prosecutors say inmates paid Marc Buckner, 47, of Kansas City, Kan., $750 for each can of tobacco and rolling papers he brought into the federal prison during his employment. He hid the contraband inside two handmade insoles in his shoes. The smuggling happened monthly for years, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said in a news release announcing Buckner’s sentence.

Buckner pleaded guilty in November to one count of accepting bribes while he was a public official. He was accused of taking more than $200,000 from inmates between 2005 and 2014.

This story was originally published April 10, 2017 at 12:55 PM with the headline "The guard took bribes from inmates; now he’s going to prison."