Guard charged in Fort Dix contraband smuggling scheme
Prosecutors say inmates and their associates paid officers bribes to get prohibited items past prison security.
A federal corrections officer and four other people have been charged with smuggling knives, marijuana, cell phones, and other contraband into the federal prison at Fort Dix over the course of about a year, federal authorities said.
Cameron Paige, a 43-year-old corrections officer at Fort Dix, allegedly conspired with former corrections officer Ian Dennis, 32; Eden Germain, 27; and federal inmates Joe Lee McQuay, 48, and Keith Navarro Palmer, 41, to sneak the items into the prison in Burlington County, according to U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer.
The scheme, which allegedly operated from May 2025 through May 2026, relied heavily on Dennis, a former Fort Dix corrections officer from Philadelphia, who was at times assigned to search employees reporting for work and run their belongings through a metal detector, authorities said.
Inmates and their associates allegedly paid Dennis and Paige bribes and kickbacks in exchange for helping them bypass the prison’s screening procedures, according to the criminal complaint.
More than $100,000 was transferred among the alleged co-conspirators through electronic payment apps including Zelle, Apple Pay, Cash App, and Venmo during the operation, authorities said.
The group allegedly smuggled knives, marijuana, tobacco, cell phones, vapes, cell phone chargers, tool kits and a tattoo kit into Fort Dix to sell to inmates.
In August 2025, the co-conspirators allegedly discussed smuggling 20 cell phones, eight charging blocks, eight ounces of THC wax and 10 vapes into the prison, according to authorities.
One of the allegedly smuggled knives was later used by McQuay to stab another inmate during a dispute involving money, authorities said.
All five defendants are charged with conspiracy to provide contraband in prison, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Dennis and Paige are also charged with agreeing to receive and receiving bribes, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Dennis, of Philadelphia; Paige, of Cinnaminson; and Germain, of Delran, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni on Sept. 16 and were released on bail. McQuay and Navarro Palmer are already serving federal prison terms and will make their initial court appearances at a later date.
Attorneys for Dennis, Germain, and Paige did not respond to requests for comment.
Steve Janoski is an award-winning investigative journalist with nearly two decades of experience covering criminal justice, policing, courts, government, and politics. His reporting has exposed corruption, government malfeasance, and police misconduct. His work has appeared in the New York Post, USA Today, The Associated Press, The Record, and the Asbury Park Press. At The Jersey Vindicator, he covers criminal justice. Reach Steve at steve AT jerseyvindicator.org.