An already incarcerated man and two of his family members are accused of selling drugs inside the Harris County jail and laundering money.
During a news conference on Tuesday, District Attorney Kim Ogg and Kimberly Smith, a prosecutor with the DA's public corruption division, announced newly filed charges of engaging in organized criminal activity against 35-year-old Joshua Sinclair Owens, his stepsister Lativia Armiss Bailey, 31, and Owens' cousin 42-year-old Nathanael Campbell.
"(Owens) is currently making thousands upon thousands of dollars in the Harris County jail smuggling, distributing, and selling drugs within the jail," Smith said.
Owens has been incarcerated since 2022 for a number of violent charges, including murder. Charging documents show jailers found papers soaked in synthetic marijuana in Owens' cell during a search in March 2024.
Investigators began listening to recorded calls from Owens' jail cell and learned about Bailey and Campbell's involvement.
Smith said they learned that Owens sold the drug-soaked papers to other inmates who paid him through a CashApp account. Bailey and Campbell managed the CashApp account and transferred the money into his commissary account.
"When he first entered the jail as an inmate with $200 in his commissary and from October 2023 to June 2024, he was able to make a revenue of over $28,000," Smith explained.
Smith said they have not been able to determine yet how the drugs were getting into the jail to Owens.
"We feel confident that this investigation is far from being complete," Smith said. "It is far from being done. We hope to have more charges in the future."
In November 2023, in response to jail deaths linked to illicit drug use, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez announced enhanced protocols to keep drugs out, including not allowing attorneys to bring outside legal paperwork in during client visits and transitioning mail to a digital system.
Based on the timeline, Owens' alleged actions continued after the changes.
Through email, the sheriff's office, which led the investigation into this alleged operation, said that they have been monitoring commissary accounts closely and have minimized and, in some cases, eliminated the ability for inmates to profit from criminal activity while incarcerated.
A spokesman said they have processes in place to mitigate contraband from entering the jail, which has helped to reduce the problem, but they are "constantly assessing (their) protocols and procedures for enhanced security."
In November 2023, 77-year-old attorney Ronald Lewis was charged with two counts of having a prohibited substance in a correctional facility. He was arrested during a visit to the jail and found to be in possession of 11 sheets of paper believed to be soaked in drugs.
The same month, detention officer 24-year-old Robert Robertson was arrested as he reported for duty at the jail. Investigators uncovered evidence the month prior that he was potentially selling drugs to people in the jail.
Ogg said those two cases are unrelated to Owens' case.
Owens, Bailey, and Campbell all face up to life in prison for engaging in organized criminal activity charges.
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