Prison Bribery Scheme Continues To Spread

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Prosecutors have filed a criminal charge of conspiracy to pay bribes against the CEO of a company that sold drug screening cups to Mississippi’s prison system.

Mark Longoria, the 53-year-old CEO of Drug Testing Corp., was charged Monday in federal court in Jackson.

The charge alleges Longoria, of Houston, sent nearly $230,000 to Brandon businessman Cecil McCrory with the intention of McCrory bribing then-Mississippi Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps.

It’s the latest in a series of charges against people in a wide-ranging bribery scheme that centered on Epps. He and McCrory have already pleaded guilty.

Longoria is scheduled to appear Tuesday before a federal magistrate. Prosecutors often file charges, instead of indictments, against people who agree to plead guilty.