A federal prison lieutenant is set to stand trial in August in a smuggling scheme where he allegedly accepted bribes to sneak contraband into a southern Colorado prison facility, according to federal court records.
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Michael Popma, a special investigative service lieutenant at the Federal Correctional Complex in Florence, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy, bribery, providing contraband in prison and unlawful interception of oral communication, according to a copy of the indictment filed June 2 in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.
The correctional complex comprises several federal prison facilities, including USP Florence ADMAX, a maximum-security prison often referred to as the Alcatraz of the Rockies. Popma supervised staff and oversaw the “investigation, mitigation, and elimination of all illicit (Bureau of Prisons) inmate activities” at the Federal Correctional Institution of Florence, the complex’s medium-security prison.
Staff at the medium-security facility also manage the Federal Prison Camp, Florence’s low-security facility, according to the indictment.
Popma — described in the indictment as a “public official in a high-level decision-making and sensitive role” — allegedly “used his position to act in violation of his lawful duty by conspiring to smuggle contraband into (the Florence prison) in exchange for payments from inmates and their associates,” the indictment stated.
Between Sept. 12, 2024, and Dec. 13, 2024, Popma accepted roughly $15,500 and six bottles of alcohol from an inmate’s family member to smuggle 123 cell phones, 415 electronic nicotine vaporizers and 274 bottles of alcohol into the prison, the indictment alleges.
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Popma was hired at the Florence prison complex in November 2014 as a correctional officer and was promoted to lieutenant in August 2021, Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesperson Scott Taylor said in an email to The Denver Post. As of Tuesday, Popma was still employed as a lieutenant.
“Based on the need to ensure safety and security in our institutions and in accordance with privacy concerns, we do not discuss potential allegations of staff misconduct or comment on matters that are the subject of legal proceedings,” Taylor said. “However, we generally can tell you that the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) takes our duty seriously to protect the individuals entrusted to our custody as well as maintain the safety of correctional staff and the community.”
The Bureau cannot confirm or deny “whether a specific employee is currently on administrative leave or otherwise disciplined,” Taylor said. Officials also cannot confirm “the existence of a corresponding investigation,” he said.
If convicted on all four charges, Popma would face up to 26 years in prison, up to $1 million in fines or a combination of the two, according to the indictment. The man’s case is set to go to trial on Aug. 10, according to court records.
Attorneys for Popma and the U.S. Department of Justice did not respond on Tuesday to requests for comment.
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