First of Jackson County jail smuggling defendants pleads guilty in federal court

One of five people accused last summer of smuggling cellphones and other contraband into the Jackson County Detention Center pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court.

Marion L. Byers, 36, of Kansas City, admitted that he conspired with a corrections officer, an inmate and a co-conspirator to deliver contraband to inmates.

He could be sentenced to up to five years in federal prison without parole. Byers is on probation on a separate state charge. Prosecutors will ask that the federal sentence run consecutive to whatever a judge decides Byers should serve for violating terms of probation.

The smuggling case against his three co-defendants and another person accused in a separate smuggling scheme are still pending.

This story was originally published December 6, 2017 at 5:11 PM with the headline "First of Jackson County jail smuggling defendants pleads guilty in federal court."