FBI to investigate possible corruption at Clinton Correctional Facility

The FBI has launched an investigation into corruption at the Clinton Correctional Facility, law enforcement officials told CNN Monday, looking into possible drug trafficking and other criminal behavior.

Convicted killers Richard Matt and David Sweat escaped from the upstate New York prison earlier this month, and the new inquiry is being fueled by evidence uncovered by authorities while investigating the jailbreak. Some employees told authorities that prisoners were using heroin and employees were part of the drug trade, sources told CNN, and specific people have been identified and are the focus of the investigation.

The New York Inspector General and New York State Police have also launched investigations into the escape, with the inspector general looking at the relationships between guards and inmates and the things they would discuss; investigators now believe Matt and Sweat spoke with guards about the terrain around the prison, gaining knowledge that would be useful during their escape. Corrections officer Joyce Mitchell is accused of smuggling in the tools Matt and Sweat used to break out of prison, while another prison worker, Gene Palmer, is charged with delivering those tools. Matt was killed on Friday, while Sweat was captured alive on Sunday.

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