Corrections officer admits stealing money from inmate’s CashApp, feds say

ATLANTA — A corrections officer at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta pleaded guilty to stealing money from an inmate’s CashApp account and applying for a COVID-19 loan for a business that never existed, federal prosecutors said.

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According to a news release on Friday from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, Andy Steven Johnson, 42, of Peachtree City, Georgia, pleaded guilty to theft by an employee of the United States and wire fraud.

According to federal prosecutors, Johnson worked at the penitentiary beginning in January 2015. In December 2018 he was assigned to the facility’s Special Investigative Services team.

His duties included conducting investigations into inmate misconduct, including the smuggling and possession of contraband.

Prosecutors said that on Jan. 13, 2021, Johnson allegedly seized a contraband cellphone from an inmate. Instead of processing the device, the officer opened the inmate’s CashApp account on the phone and transferred $300 to his CashApp account. He later transferred the money to his personal bank account, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors alleged that on March 4, 2021, Johnson applied for a federal COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program relief loan for a bogus business, Performance Customs.

Johnson claimed on his application that the business brought in $76,000 in annual revenue and paid an average monthly payroll of $6,333, according to WSB-TV. Based on his application, Johnson was approved for a forgivable loan of $15,832, prosecutors said.

“Johnson committed brazen acts of theft and fraud. Rather than conducting himself with integrity, he sought to personally gain, stealing from an inmate and attempting to fraudulently obtain pandemic relief funds meant to help those with legitimate hardships,” Sandra D. Barnes, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice’s Investigations Division, said in a statement. “The Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General will aggressively pursue justice for victims of these kinds of shameless acts.”

Johnson no longer works for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a U.S. Penitentiary Atlanta spokesperson told McClatchy News on Tuesday.

“While we decline to comment on the case specifically, we can share that the FBOP supports holding accountable those who violate public trust and engage in criminal activity,” the spokesperson said in an email to the news organization. “As corrections professionals, we are trained and take an oath that requires us to act with integrity and safeguard those in our care and custody.”

According to his plea agreement, Johnson will not seek future employment with the Bureau of Prisons or any part of the U.S. Department of Justice, WSB reported. Johnson will also be barred from working for private prisons detention centers or community corrections centers and halfway houses, according to the television station.

Johnson will be sentenced on Feb. 7, 2024, the prosecutor’s news release stated.