Helena-West Helena, Arkansas – Two former federal correctional officers are headed to federal prison after separate investigations uncovered schemes involving contraband being brought into the Forrest City Federal Correctional Complex in Arkansas.
Robert Cochran, 37, of Forrest City, and Tejuana Dillard, 42, of Wynne, were each sentenced to 30 months in federal prison on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Ross for the Eastern District of Arkansas announced the sentences, which were imposed by U.S. District Judge Brian S. Miller. There is no parole in the federal prison system.
Although both defendants worked as correctional officers at the same federal facility and received identical prison terms, their convictions resulted from separate investigations.
Cochran was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 5, 2023, on one count of bribery of a public official. He ultimately pleaded guilty to that charge on March 11, 2026.
Dillard was indicted on June 6, 2024. Her two-count federal indictment charged her with bribery of a public official and making a false statement to federal agents. On March 11, 2026, she pleaded guilty to the false statement charge.
Cochran received nearly $59,000 to bring items into prison
According to investigators, Cochran used his position as a correctional officer at Forrest City FCC to bring prohibited items inside the facility for inmates.
Authorities determined that Cochran received approximately $58,775 from inmates’ friends and family members in exchange for bringing contraband into the prison.
The items included tobacco, rolling papers, Gucci sunglasses and over the counter drugs.
Investigators also obtained video evidence showing how part of the operation worked. In February 2023, Cochran was captured on video while working at the facility. The footage showed him leaving bags containing contraband inside an office.
After Cochran departed from the office, an inmate would enter the room and retrieve the items, according to federal authorities.
Cochran eventually admitted that he had received payments for bringing items into the federal prison for inmates.
Dillard’s case involved a different contraband operation and conduct that occurred several years earlier.
She had worked as a correctional officer at Forrest City FCC for 13 years, beginning in 2008 and continuing until July 2021.
Federal investigators determined that throughout 2020, Dillard brought contraband cigarettes into the prison. Authorities said she received a total of $91,788 for supplying cigarettes to two inmates.
Those two inmates then sold the contraband cigarettes to other people incarcerated at the facility.
False statements to investigators led to Dillard’s conviction
When federal agents interviewed Dillard about the activity, she admitted that she had smuggled cigarettes while working as a correctional officer.
However, she told investigators that she had only done it “a couple of times.”
Federal authorities determined that Dillard knew this statement was false when she made it. Her guilty plea was ultimately entered on the charge of making false statements to federal agents.
Together, the investigations found that Cochran and Dillard received more than $150,000 connected to bringing contraband into Forrest City FCC, although their conduct occurred separately and involved different types of prohibited items.
Cochran received approximately $58,775, while investigators determined Dillard received $91,788.
Their cases also show different methods of moving contraband inside the facility. Cochran was recorded leaving bags in an office for an inmate to retrieve, while Dillard supplied cigarettes to two inmates who then sold them to others inside the prison.
Both defendants will now serve 30-month federal prison terms after previously working as guards at the facility.
The cases were investigated by the Office of the Inspector General within the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Peters prosecuted both cases on behalf of the federal government.
