The United States Penitentiary in Atwater, Bureau of Prisons photo

An investigation into the death of a correctional officer led to the arrests of three defendants Tuesday, charged with conspiring to distribute controlled substances and introducing narcotic drugs to an inmate at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atwater, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between July 15, 2024, and Aug. 9, 2024, Jamar Jones, 35, an inmate at USP Atwater; Stephanie Ferreira, 35, of Evansville, Indiana; and Jermen Rudd III, 37, of Wentzville, Missouri, conspired to introduce narcotics into USP Atwater for Jones to sell, according to allegations in a news release from Talbert’s office. As part of that scheme, Jones and Ferreira had Rudd mail a letter laced with narcotics to Jones that was fraudulently labeled as legal mail, according to Talbert.

On Aug. 9, a correctional officer at USP Atwater opened that letter and minutes later began to feel ill. After evaluation by medical staff, he was subsequently taken to the hospital where he died. Another correctional officer also felt ill after coming into contact with the narcotics-laced letter but recovered, reported Talbert.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Veneman-Hughes is prosecuting the case.

Following the arrests this morning, Ferreira is set to be arraigned on the complaint in the Southern District of Indiana, while Rudd will be arraigned on the complaint in the Eastern District of Missouri. Jones will appear next week in court in Fresno for his initial appearance.