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Robert T. Sanford Jr., 37, worked night shifts at the Fairfax
County jail as a corrections officer between 2021 and 2023,
according to court records.
He admitted that he smuggled drugs and a phone into a jail
inmate, including fentanyl and cocaine, for distribution among
other inmates. He gave inside information to the inmate about
internal investigations, and tipped him off to inmates who were
cooperating with law enforcement, subjecting those inmates to
intimidation.
Outside his role as a guard, prosecutors say Sanford was a pimp
who trafficked women and plied them with drugs.
“There is a significant distinction between one who merely
solicits escorts or uses drugs to relieve stress and escape, and
one who provides housing and drugs to opioid-dependent and
homeless women in exchange for sexual acts and financial gain,”
prosecutors wrote.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of
Virginia, said Sanford "preyed on the vulnerabilities of people
in his care. His corruption didn’t stop with profiting from
feeding the addictions of inmates in his charge. Rather than
assisting homeless and addicted members of his community,
Sanford used drugs to entrap them in a life of prostitution for
his own gain.”
The sentence issued Thursday in U.S. District Court in
Alexandria was roughly in line with that requested by
prosecutors, and longer than the 4-year sentence sought by
Sanford's public defender.
Sanford apologized for his actions in a letter to the judge.
“I will continue attending therapy to ensure I remain on the
right path,” he wrote. “I deeply regret my actions and the harm
they caused.”
Sanford's lawyer said mental health issues contributed to his
misdeeds.
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