Leavenworth prison guard accused of taking bribes to smuggle contraband

A guard at the federal prison in Leavenworth is accused of taking bribes to smuggle tobacco to inmates.

A federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kan., on Wednesday indicted 52-year-old Michael Harston of Kansas City on charges of conspiracy to commit bribery and four counts of accepting bribes.

According to federal prosecutors, Harston allegedly smuggled tobacco, which is considered contraband, into the prison from Oct. 2013 to Aug. 2014. He was caught after video surveillance showed him distributing tobacco to inmates, according to prosecutors.

He allegedly was paid by wire transfers from relatives of the inmates.

Tony Rizzo, trizzo@kcstar.com

This story was originally published August 6, 2015 at 8:32 AM with the headline "Leavenworth prison guard accused of taking bribes to smuggle contraband."