Waupun prison staffers resigned or fired amid federal probe into alleged smuggling

Five prison employees have resigned or been fired since the U.S. Department of Justice launched a probe into a suspected smuggling conspiracy within Waupun Correctional Institution, according to the state Department of Corrections.

The federal investigation came at the request of Gov. Tony Evers and the state correctional agency after a DOC sweep of multiple housing units at Waupun last summer uncovered banned items, including cell phones, drugs and other contraband.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice worked with the governor's office and corrections officials in referring the matter to federal authorities, a department spokesperson said.

The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment this week on whether charges have been filed in the case.

As a result of the probe, the Department of Corrections placed 11 employees at Waupun on administrative leave — some with pay and some without — between May 2023 and March. As of this week, six employees remained on administrative leave. No information has been released about the type of positions the employees held at the prison.

No other staff members have been placed on administrative leave related to the probe, according to the agency.

The smuggling allegations came at a time when the state's correctional system was under fierce scrutiny from families of Waupun prisoners after a series of in-custody deaths and an extended locked-down period that lasted for nearly all of last year.

Dean Hoffmann , 60, died by suicide last June. His family has filed a lawsuit alleging prison staff were deliberately indifferent to Hoffmann's serious mental health needs. The lawsuit says prison workers failed to give him his bipolar and antidepressant medications as prescribed more than three-quarters of the time.

In October, 30-year-old Tyshun Lemons died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl. In March, Cameron Williams , 24, died of a rare stroke and fellow prisoners have accused prison workers of ignoring his pleas for help before his death.

The Department of Corrections also is facing a class action lawsuit , alleging “cruel and unusual” conditions at Waupun.

Contact Vanessa Swales at 414-308-5881 or vswales@gannett.com . Follow her on X @Vanessa_Swales .

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Waupun prison staffers resigned or fired amid federal probe into alleged smuggling