JACKSON, Miss. — A former state senator pleaded guilty in Mississippi’s prison contract bribery scandal Tuesday, becoming the sixth person to admit guilt in the investigation centering on former Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps.
Irb Benjamin of Madison pleaded guilty to one count of bribery before U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate in Jackson.
Benjamin faces up to 10 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines. Prosecutors also want him to forfeit money he gained. He remains free on $10,000 bond until sentencing.
Indicted in August 2015, Benjamin faced one count of honest services wire fraud and two counts of bribery. If he had been convicted of all three, he could have faced up to 40 years in prison and up to $750,000 in fines.
Benjamin admitted in court that he gave Epps bribes and kickbacks in exchange for the state selecting his company, Mississippi Correctional Management, to provide drug and alcohol treatment services to inmates at state work centers in Alcorn and Simpson counties. The company collected about $774,000, according to court documents.
He also admitted paying Epps to help the company obtain consulting contracts worth $862,000 overall from three counties: Alcorn, Washington and Chickasaw.
Court papers say Benjamin made regular cash payments of $1,000 to $2,000 to Epps beginning in 2010.