Four to plead guilty in Eastern Shore prison smuggling case

Four defendants in a sprawling racketeering case at Maryland's largest prison have agreed to plead guilty for their roles, court records show.

The guilty pleas come just one month after the massive case was unsealed. Eighty people, including 18 corrections officers, were charged in the investigation, which found widespread drug smuggling inside the Eastern Correctional Institution, a medium-security prison on the Eastern Shore.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Leo J. Wise wrote in a status update to the court on Nov. 10 that the government was in the process of providing discovery to defendants and their attorneys. Four defendants had already signed plea agreements, he said, while others wanted to discuss the possibility.

More