Former California Corrections Employee Sentenced to 37 Months for Smuggling 301 Grams of Meth Into San Quentin in a Peanut Butter Jar
SAN FRANCISCO — San Quentin is in Marin County, California, north of San Francisco. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California announced on November 2 that former California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation employee Keith Randle was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute over 300 grams of methamphetamine to inmates at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, formerly known as San Quentin State Prison. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston handed down the sentence.
Randle, 57, of Vallejo, California, worked as a janitor at San Quentin. He was charged by Information on March 20, 2025, with one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and pleaded guilty on May 15, 2026. According to the plea agreement, Randle admitted to soliciting and accepting bribery payments in exchange for smuggling and distributing prison contraband, including methamphetamine, marijuana and tobacco, to inmates, charging approximately $1,000 per item. The scheme went on for years, dating back to at least January 2019 and continuing through August 15, 2024.
On August 15, 2024, Randle was caught inside San Quentin with a hollowed-out peanut butter jar, painted brown and glued shut to appear full and unopened, containing 301 grams of methamphetamine as well as marijuana. From January 2019 through April 2020, associates of inmates paid him $31,000 through PayPal, and from July 2021 through August 2022 he received approximately $40,926 via Cash App from an inmate's wife in exchange for smuggling contraband to her husband. In 2023 and 2024 he primarily accepted cash. On October 1, 2024, federal law enforcement seized $55,210 in cash from his two residences, all of which he admitted were proceeds of the scheme. In total, he admitted to soliciting and accepting over $100,000 in bribery payments, using the proceeds to buy cars, motorcycles and other assets.
United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and FBI Special Agent in Charge Scott R. Schelble made the announcement. In addition to the prison term, Judge Illston sentenced Randle to a three-year period of supervised release and ordered the forfeiture of $55,210. He will begin serving the sentence on January 5, 2027. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin K. Kleinman prosecuted the case, which resulted from an investigation by the FBI. (Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于加州 Marin County 的 San Quentin 康复中心（原 San Quentin 州立监狱）航拍（资料图）。Jesstess87 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Aerial view of San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in Marin County, California (file photo). By Jesstess87, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
