Ex-correctional officer at Anamosa pleads guilty of smuggling

CEDAR RAPIDS - A former Iowa correctional officer who authorities said last week was involved in smuggling cellphones into Anamosa State Penitentiary was convicted Tuesday in federal court.

Garrett Barton, 29, of Anamosa, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to violating the Hobbs Act - Extortion Under Color of Official Right and being an unlawful user of controlled substances in possession of a firearm. He smuggled cellphones into the prison, extorted money from inmates and traded illegal controlled substances with three other former guards.

He faces up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $500,000 on both charges.

During the plea hearing, Barton admitted to smuggling cellphones into the prison and extorting $200 from an inmate for the phones from July 23, 2010, through Feb. 20. Possession of cellphones in prison is prohibited, even for correctional officers.

Barton also admitted to possessing firearms, including semi-automatic pistols and two shotguns, while being an unlawful drug user, and to possessing an AR-15 assault rifle while working as a tower guard.

Barton admitted during the hearing to using several prescription drugs for nerve pain, anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and muscle spasms. But when U.S. Magistrate Jon Scoles asked whether Barton ever had abused alcohol or drugs, he said no. Then, saying he misunderstood, he admitted to smoking marijuana.

Last week, U.S. Attorney Kevin Techau and Iowa Department of Corrections Director Jerry Bartruff announced that Barton and three other tower guards were part of a smuggling and extortion ring.

One of the three also was convicted in federal court for being unlawful drug user in possession of firearms.

The other two are charged in Jones County with aggravated misdemeanors for drugs.

Bartruff said the investigation continues.

Barton's plea agreement states on that Nov. 27 last year, a cellphone and charger were recovered by a correctional officer during a search of a public locker inside prison.

A few days later, correctional officers received a tip from an inmate, W.Z., that a second phone was being used by two other inmates. Officers found one phone and charger in a prison cell.

Barton made deals to smuggle in phones with a girlfriend of inmate W.Z., the plea agreement said. On Nov. 1, W.Z. called his girlfriend about the cellphones she would give to Barton.

The girlfriend came to Cedar Rapids from Topeka, Kan., on Nov. 14 to visit W.Z. While in town, she bought two phones at the Anamosa Wal-Mart, the plea statement said. Before she left Kansas and while in Iowa, she received calls from 'Buddy,” whom authorities determined was Barton. W.Z. told her to drop off the phones in Barton's truck Nov. 15.

W.Z. told her the truck was parked on the street, out of view for the surveillance cameras, but she couldn't find the truck that day.

The next day, Barton called her. They were to meet at the Super 8 Motel in Anamosa. According to the plan, she would leave $200 and the phones in her rental car, and he would retrieve them. But Barton had an associate, Samuel Foster, a nonprison employee who also was charged, retrieve the phones.