Florida prison nurse accused of taking bribes for smuggling drugs to inmates

FLORIDA — A nurse at a federal prison in Miami has been charged with smuggling drug-laced documents and other prohibited items to inmates, according to an announcement by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida.

According to the announcement, Ruben Montanez-Mirabal, 32, made his first appearance last week in federal court to face charges that he accepted bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband, including illegal drugs, into the Federal Detention Center in Miami (FDC-Miami) and delivering it to inmates.

Montanez-Mirabal is a licensed registered nurse who has worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons at FDC-Miami since February 2020, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

According to the criminal complaint unsealed yesterday, from November 2021 to August 2002, Montanez-Mirabal allegedly smuggled drug-laced legal documents and other prohibited items to inmates at FDC-Miami in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribes and other things of value.

It is alleged that the documents that Montanez-Mirabal delivered to inmates were sheets of paper that had been soaked in liquids containing illegal drugs, then dried.  The inmates who received the laced paper from Montanez-Mirabal then resold it to other inmates at FDC-Miami, says the complaint.

It is alleged that in addition to money, Montanez-Mirabal accepted other bribes, such as the free use of a Lamborghini and a Rolls-Royce.

The criminal complaint charges Montanez-Mirabal with bribery, providing contraband in prison, and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. If convicted, Montanez-Mirabal faces up to 45 years in prison.

United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Juan Antonio Gonzalez, FBI Miami Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert M. DeWitt, and Department of Justice-Office of Inspector General, Miami Field Office Special Agent in Charge James Boyersmith made the announcement.

FBI Miami and DOJ-OIG Miami are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an accusation, and a defendant is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 22-mj-03762.