Prosecutor: Ex-Missouri public defender employee accused of mailing heroin to prison
An attorney who once worked for Missouri’s office of public defense was indicted Friday by a grand jury for allegedly smuggling heroin into a state prison two years ago while working as a legal professional.
Juliane L. Colby, 43, faces four federal felony charges for conspiracy to distribute heroin, illegal use of a communication facility and attempted distribution of heroin, according to federal prosecutors. She is also accused of trying to bring other contraband into the Western Missouri Correctional Center in Cameron.
A request for comment sent to the federal public defender listed as Colby’s legal representative went unanswered Friday.
The federal indictment alleges Colby was part of a conspiracy to distribute heroin and other contraband in early August of 2019. Court records allege Colby hid the drugs in an envelope marked “Legal Mail” that contained other information related to a criminal court case. The letter was mailed from a post office in Shawnee.
Colby is also accused of working with another conspirator in the correctional facility, with whom she allegedly had a series of phone conversations discussing a plan to mail the drugs and contraband to the prison.
Colby was charged with a similar crime while she was working as a mitigation specialist with the Missouri Public Defender office roughly 3 ½ years ago.
In 2017, Colby was accused of helping her client conceal a cell phone in the Jackson County Detention Center. She allegedly concealed the knowledge of other items, including a charging cord, which prosecutors alleged could have been used to strangle another inmate.
The client, Ce-Antonyo D. Kennedy, was awaiting trial for murder at the time. He was later convicted in the killing of a 14-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Colby and Kennedy shared text messages with each other, many of them romantic and sexual in nature. In one, Colby noted their relationship could be harmful to her career.
“Just so you know, it has nothing to do with not wanting to be with you,” she wrote at the time, according to court records. ”But if I got caught, I could lose my job, my law license, and my social work license. I just couldn’t take that risk.”
Shortly after the charges were filed, the Missouri Public Defender office said she was no longer employed by the agency. The Missouri Bar Association lists Colby as an attorney in “good standing” on its official directory of legal professionals.
This story was originally published March 26, 2021 at 6:39 PM.
