Former California Correctional Lieutenant Pleads Guilty: Took More Than $95,000 in Bribes to Smuggle Contraband Into Salinas Valley State Prison
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California announced that Matthew L. Madsen, a former correctional lieutenant at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad, in California's Monterey County, has pleaded guilty in federal court in San Jose to conspiring to smuggle contraband into the state prison in exchange for bribes. Madsen, 40, of Greenfield, California, was charged by information on February 24, 2026, and pleaded guilty to the sole count in the information.
According to the plea agreement and court documents, Madsen was employed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) from 2017 to 2025 and was assigned to Salinas Valley State Prison, where he held several ranks including Correctional Lieutenant. As a lieutenant, he often served as supervisor for an entire prison yard covering approximately 1,000 inmates and 200 staff. CDCR employees are prohibited from bringing contraband such as wireless communication devices and tobacco products into state prisons. Prosecutors noted in the plea filing that wireless communication devices are particularly dangerous in prison because inmates can use them to coordinate violent attacks and the smuggling and trafficking of contraband.
Madsen admitted that from January 2023 through February 2025, he worked with others — including at least one inmate and one individual outside the prison — to smuggle contraband into the prison in exchange for money, receiving more than $95,000 in total, including cash payments and wire transfers. U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian and FBI Special Agent in Charge Scott Schelbe made the announcement. The FBI and CDCR investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael G. Pitman is prosecuting it.
Madsen's sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 9, 2027, at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Noël Wise. The count to which he pleaded guilty, honest services fraud, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Any sentence will be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于加州蒙特雷县 Soledad 的 Salinas Valley 州立监狱航拍（资料图）。照片：加州惩教部（CDCR）官方发布。 / Aerial view of Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad, Monterey County, California (file photo). Photo: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), official release.
