Former Federal Prison Guard Sentenced For Giving Favors To Arizona Inmate She Was In A Relationship With

Heather Alissa Neff, 38, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Scott H. Rash to 18 months in prison, and 36 months of supervised release. Neff pleaded guilty to Accepting a Bribe by a Public Official on August 31, 2023.

From 2016 through June 2019, Neff worked as a corrections officer in the Bureau of Prisons facility at FCI Safford where she regularly interacted with inmates.

In early 2019, Neff entered into an inappropriate sexual relationship with an inmate incarcerated at FCI Safford. Neff received cash in exchange for a stream of benefits to the inmate, including sexual contact with the inmate; introducing contraband into the prison, which included nutritional supplements, loose tobacco, hygiene items, and rum; and assisting the inmate in circumventing a security feature of the prison by taking mail from the inmate out of the prison and inserting it into the U.S. mail on his behalf.

Neff also accessed the BOP SENTRY system on behalf of the inmate and provided him with non-public information regarding other inmates. As a part of the plea, Neff acknowledged that one of the inmates she provided information about was later assaulted.

Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson handled the prosecution.