PHILADELPHIA (October 3, 2024) — The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday that Khalif Workman (DOB: 1/18/1992) pled guilty to charges relating to his role in a prison contraband trafficking scheme while working as a correctional officer at Riverside Correctional Facility (RCF) in 2021.
Workman pled guilty to Manufacture, Delivery, or Possession with Intent to Manufacture or Deliver a Controlled Substance (F1); Dealing in Proceeds of Unlawful Activities (F1); Conspiracy (F1); and Bribery (F3).
The investigation in this case began when a correctional officer, acting on a tip, uncovered over 100 grams of narcotics during the search of a person’s cell who was being held in pre-trial detention. An Apple iPhone was also recovered in the course of the search. A Philadelphia Police Detective subsequently obtained a search warrant for the phone and recovered text messages, call histories, photographs and videos of purchased narcotics, and more. This evidence revealed the contraband scheme: The inmate purchased narcotics through various CashApp accounts and then notified a woman outside of the facility to pick them up; the woman then notified Workman that the contraband was ready for transport into RCF.
Over the duration of the conspiracy, defendant Workman received 15 bribes collectively worth over $23,000 for his role in the scheme. Through a careful analysis of his banking activity, investigators also discovered that he had used these funds to purchase a property in Philadelphia. He was arrested in September 2022 following a presentment issued by the Thirty-First Philadelphia County Investigating Grand Jury two months prior.
“I commend Assistant District Attorneys Brett Zakeosian and Daniel Margolskee for securing a just outcome in this matter,” said District Attorney Larry Krasner. “This defendant’s actions violated his sworn oath to the Philadelphia Department of Prisons and endangered the safety of corrections staff and incarcerated persons. Thanks to the Philadelphia Police Department and ADAs Zakeosian and Margolskee, Mr. Workman will be held accountable for his greed and disregard for the wellbeing of others.”
“I want to thank Philadelphia Police Detective Allan Relova of the Southwest Detective Division and former DA Detective John Krawczyk for their excellent work on this case,” said ADA Zakeosian. “I also want to assure the public that the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office will continue to collaborate with Philadelphia police and the Philadelphia Department of Prisons to hold any corrections staff accountable for violating their oaths and the law.”
Workman was sentenced to one and a half to three years of state incarceration by the Hon. Lucretia Clemons on September 26, 2024.