A dental assistant allegedly accepted bribes in exchange for smuggling pounds of marijuana, tobacco, and other items into a U.S. prison in New York where she was contracted to work, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Terri Lynn Outer, a former contracted dental assistant at a federal correctional institution (FCI) in Otisville, New York, was arrested on June 24 and charged with bribery, providing or possessing contraband in prison, and conspiracy to provide or possess contraband in prison, according to a press release dated June 24 from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Outer, 50, of Montague, NJ, faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
From January 2024 through August 2025, Outer was contracted to work as a dental assistant at the prison. During this time, she allegedly solicited and received payments from inmates, former inmates, their families, and associates in exchange for smuggling contraband, like drugs, and prohibited objects into the institution, according to the press release.
Marijuana that was seized from a health service supply room at FCI Otisville.U.S. DOJ.
Outer reportedly received more than $163,000 in bribes and engaged in lengthy conversations, including talks about smuggling in a package that weighed more than six pounds, with inmates and associates, according to the press release.
In August 2025, prison personnel searched a health service supply room Outer had access to. That search revealed about 3.2 pounds of marijuana and 6.7 pounds of loose-leaf tobacco, according to the press release.
Prison officials seized 6.7 lb of tobacco.U.S. DOJ.
“The DOJ refuses to tolerate such corruption in our prisons,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said in the press release. “It makes our prisons more dangerous and makes rehabilitation more difficult.”
