CLEVELAND, Ohio - A former Cleveland man who admitted using a drone to smuggle cellphones and tobacco into the privately owned prison in Youngstown has been sentenced to six months in federal prison.

Jason J. Totty, 36, also known as Jason Russell, was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Cleveland. He previously admitted to federal charges of providing prohibited items to an inmate and operating an unregistered drone.

The charges stemmed from a February 2021 incident when authorities said Totty used a drone to deliver four cellular phones and tobacco to an inmate at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center on Hubbard Road. Authorities also noted that the aircraft was not properly registered.

Fingerprints on the phones helped investigators link Totty to the crime.

Totty, who has since moved to Arizona, pleaded guilty in May to the charges.

While his attorney argued for leniency, citing Totty's family ties and his expressed remorse.

U.S. District Court Judge David Ruiz also ordered that Totty spend one year on probation after he completes his prison term.