By RON WORD
Associated Press Writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.- Florida’s former prisons chief pleaded guilty Tuesday to taking thousands of dollars in kickbacks from a prison contractor, blaming some of his actions on alcohol abuse.
After entering his guilty plea, James Crosby told reporters he was ashamed. He had already been forced to resign amid a wide-ranging investigation into criminal activity in the state corrections system.
“I apologize to everyone,” Crosby said. “What I did was wrong. I wish I could take it back.”
Crosby told U.S. Magistrate Marcia Morales Howard that he was being treated for alcohol abuse and high blood pressure.
Crosby also apologized to Gov. Jeb Bush, who forced him to resign as corrections secretary in February.
“I’m disappointed,” Bush said Tuesday. “I feel bad for him. I’m disappointed that he violated the trust.”
Crosby, 53, and his protege, Allen Wayne Clark, formerly a regional director for the department, were charged last week with accepting kickbacks from American Institutional Services, a company that sold snacks and drinks to prison visitors on weekends.
Prosecutors said Clark would accept kickbacks and deliver part of those payments to Crosby. The kickbacks totaled as much as $12,000 a month. Clark made $94,300 a year at his job, and Crosby earned about $124,000.
The contract with American has been canceled. A telephone message left with the office of the company’s founder was not immediately returned.
Crosby and Clark, who pleaded guilty Thursday, were each released on $50,000 bond. They could each receive eight years in federal prison.
Each has agreed to pay $130,000 in restitution _ the total amount of the kickbacks _ and cooperate with federal investigators. Prosecutors have not said how much each man received, but under federal law each is responsible for the total amount.
In his final months as secretary, Crosby faced scrutiny over arrests related to alleged steroid abuse by guards, accusations of sexual assault and the arrest of a former minor league baseball player suspected to have been hired only to help a Florida prison employee softball team that Clark coached.