By admin 
Over the years, former South Carolina prison guard Lowanda Atkinson took in more than $550,000 in bribe money from prisoners, using some of it to buy a Lexus, patronize high-end designer stores and have plastic surgery, according to federal prosecutors.
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But she got a reality check Wednesday afternoon at the federal courthouse near downtown Columbia.
That’s when Atkinson, a Kershaw County resident, pleaded guilty to being part of an “honest services” wire fraud conspiracy before U.S. District Judge Sherri Lydon in a hearing. “Honest services” fraud has to do with a public official being illegally paid for some act, thus depriving the public of the official’s impartial duty.
Atkinson, 53, who will be sentenced at a later date, is subject to a maximum 20 years in prison.
According to prosecutors, Atkinson used bags of potato chips to hide and smuggle items like “cell phones, cell phone accessories, tobacco, and controlled substances” into the prison, according to the charging document in her case, called an information..
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Over the 16 years she worked at various state prisons, including her last stint at Lee Correctional Institution in Lee County.
For many years in the state prison system, Atkinson used her position as a correctional officer to be assigned to the Lee prison property room where she smuggled contraband items, including narcotics, in exchange for bribes from prisoners, the information said.
“Despite her oath to serve as a corrections officer, in which capacity the public entrusted her to detect and deter contraband schemes at Lee, Atkinson accepted numerous bribes to allow contraband to move through the property room she operated,” the information said.
Prosecutors in the case are Elliott Daniels and Samantha Usher.
Atkinson is represented by Rep. Seth Rose, D-Richland, a Columbia criminal defense lawyer.
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Four others in the conspiracy pleaded guilty earlier this week.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.