Meth-Smuggling Attorney Turns Short Jail Visit Into a Long Stay

 MARSHALL, Texas – A 50-year-old Cass County, Texas man has been sentenced for a federal drug violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox today.

Bryan Lee Simmons pleaded guilty on Sep. 14, 2020, to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap.  Simmons also agreed not to engage in the practice of law for at least three years thereafter.

According to information presented in court, beginning in July 2019 and continuing through August 2019, Simmons agreed with others to distribute methamphetamine in the Cass County Jail. Specifically, on August 29, 2019, he entered the Cass County Jail under the guise of meeting with a client. When Simmons entered the jail, he had methamphetamine hidden on his body, which he intended to distribute to an inmate.  Simmons was also armed with a Colt MK IV .45 caliber pistol when he drove to the jail with the methamphetamine.  Simmons later admitted in open court that he had smuggled drugs into the Cass County Jail on at least two prior occasions.

This case was investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Rangers Division, with assistance from the Cass County, Texas, District Attorney’s Office and the Cass County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan R. Hornok.