Fall River Woman to Serve Five Days for Smuggling Drugs into Jail

BOSTON – A Fall river woman who is the ex-wife of a Massachusetts Correctional Institute-Cedar Junction inmate was sentenced in federal court in Boston Thursday in connection with smuggling drugs into the facility.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling says 42-year-old Lisa Guillemette was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani to five days in prison and 30 months supervised release with the condition that she complete 300 hours of community service.

In May, Guillemette pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute Suboxone and Alprazolam. In September 2018, she was charged along with her ex-husband, 39-year-old William Guillemette, and 42-year-old Chad Connors, both inmates at the state prison in South Walpole. Guillemette’s former mother-in-law, 58-year-old Margaret Guillemette, also of Fall River, was charged as well.

Connors and Guillemette were inmates housed inside the prison’s Disciplinary Unit (DDU), where Connors had been involved in a romantic relationship with Christine Ramos, a nurse assigned to the DDU.

At Connors’ request, Ramos agreed to smuggle contraband, including controlled substances into the facility. In order to do this, Ramos opened two P.O. Boxes through a third party. Connors sent letters and money to Ramos at these P.O. Boxes and, at Guillemette’s request, Lisa and Margaret Guillemette, obtained and sent Suboxone and Alprazolam to the P.O. Boxes. Ramos subsequently smuggled the drugs into the DDU and delivered them to Connors. Connors and William Guillemette distributed the drugs to other inmates, who sent checks to Lisa and Margaret Guillemette as payment.

Suboxone and Alprazolam are classified as Schedule III and Schedule IV controlled substances.

Connors had previously pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing. Guillemette pleaded guilty and was sentenced to18 months in prison to be served consecutive to the state sentence he is currently serving and three years of supervised release.

Margaret Guillemette pleaded guilty and was sentenced to serve five days in prison, two years of supervised release and 200 hours of community service. Ramos pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute Suboxone and Alprazolam and was sentenced two years of probation.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; and Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia M. Carris of Lelling’s Public Corruption and Special Prosecutions Unit prosecuted the case.