A correctional officer accused of smuggling cell phones and tobacco into a Northern California prison in return for cash payments made his first appearance in Sacramento federal court Friday.
In a criminal complaint filed June 17 and unsealed Thursday, Bobby Joe Kirby is charged with wire fraud and depriving the state of his honest services.
Kirby, 53, and a resident of Reno, made his initial appearance in federal court there on June 23, but the case will be prosecuted in Sacramento. He is free on a $25,000 unsecured bond signed by his wife and him.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Dale A. Drozd set a preliminary hearing for July 29, but Kirby will be charged by grand jury indictment or by a prosecutor’s information before then.
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Terry Thornton said in an email Friday that Kirby is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal case and the department’s own administrative review of the matter.
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-from Sacramento Bee
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