Governor Larry Hogan released the following statement in response to the announcement of federal indictments of 80 defendants involved in a racketeering conspiracy at the Eastern Correctional Institution in Westover.

“The indictments announced today are a clear victory in the fight against corruption, and I want to thank all the hardworking federal and state law enforcement officers whose tireless dedication and sacrifice made it possible. This morning, I spoke with Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein and personally commended him for his work and partnership with our state investigators to successfully execute this complex operation.

“While running for office, I made it clear that the systemic corruption that had been allowed to take hold in our state prison system was unacceptable, and I promised Marylanders that our administration would combat it head on. Today, together with our federal partners, we have taken decisive action to make good on that promise.

“I hired Secretary Stephen Moyer with the directive to aggressively root out corruption in our state correctional facilities, and that is exactly what he has done. From closing the notoriously dangerous Baltimore City Men’s Detention Center to the many actions taken over the course of this investigation, our administration has been and will remain steadfastly committed to stopping this kind of illicit criminal behavior.

“I want to publicly thank U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein, the FBI and other federal authorities, Secretary Moyer and the Maryland Department of Corrections, and the Maryland State Police, all of whom worked tirelessly, and at great personal risk, to see justice done.

“Under this administration, Maryland will remain unafraid to target corruption and criminal behavior of all kinds.”