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NJ Attorney, PA Mom Smuggled Contraband To Inmate In Federal Prison: DOJ

A New Jersey defense attorney and a Philadelphia woman are accused of sneaking contraband—including a cell phone, drugs, and cigarettes—into the Federal Detention Center (FDC) in Philadelphia, federal authorities announced on Friday, March 7.

The federal court complex in Philadelphia.

The federal court complex in Philadelphia.

Photo Credit: Google Maps (Street View)

Paul DiMaio, 56, of Turnersville, New Jersey, and Tanya Culver, 55, of Philadelphia, were arrested and charged with providing contraband to an inmate and aiding and abetting, Acting U.S. Attorney Nelson S.T. Thayer Jr. said.

On Feb. 4 at 10:53 a.m., DiMaio—who is a practicing criminal defense attorney—was recorded on FDC surveillance video entering the facility with two “redweld” type folders, according to a criminal complaint. He signed a Bureau of Prisons form acknowledging that prohibited items—including drugs, phones, and electronic devices—were not allowed inside.

However, investigators allege DiMaio then met with an inmate who was not his client in a legal visitation room for 18 minutes. Video shows DiMaio leaving the room with just one folder, authorities said.

FDC staff stopped the inmate after the meeting and found a Motorola cell phone, charging cord, 83 strips of suboxone (a Schedule III controlled substance), and 240 loose cigarettes inside the folder, according to the complaint.

Culver, the mother of a different inmate, allegedly helped acquire the contraband, communicated with DiMaio, and traveled with him to the facility that day, prosecutors said.

If convicted, both face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Miller.

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