A Lompoc federal prison correctional officer and his wife pleaded guilty Wednesday to smuggling contraband to an inmate in exchange for $6,650 over several months.

Paul Betancourt, 38, and Sylvia Betancourt, 49, both of Lompoc, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide contraband to a Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex inmate, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to their plea agreements, Paul Betancourt was employed by the Bureau of Prisons as a correctional officer at one of the Lompoc federal prisons.

From May 2023 to September 2023, Paul Betancourt agreed to provide contraband to an inmate. Sylvia Betancourt received payment and contraband from the inmate through the his intermediaries, which she then delivered to her husband.

The defendants admitted that on at least 13 occasions, they met with, or received payment from, a Lompoc inmate or one of the prisoner’s intermediaries for the delivery of contraband, including controlled substances such as suboxone, which is used to treat opioid addiction.

The payments ranged from $100 to as much as $1,500, according to court documents.

In total, the inmate paid the defendants $6,650 to provide contraband to him at the Lompoc prison.

The BOP has indefinitely suspended Paul Betancourt, according to federal attorneys.

U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang scheduled sentencing hearings for Jan. 27.

The defendants will each face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.