Victorville Woman, Husband Accused Of Bribing Kern Valley State Prison Employee To Smuggle Drugs

VICTORVILLE, Calif. (VVNG.com) — A Victorville woman and her incarcerated husband have been indicted on federal charges alleging they bribed a Kern Valley State Prison employee to smuggle fentanyl, methamphetamine, cell phones and other contraband into the prison.

Rachel Bernal, also known as Rachel Bernal Dunn, 48, of Victorville, and her husband, Rodney Dunn, 48, were indicted in connection with the alleged scheme, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

Dunn is incarcerated at Kern Valley State Prison, or KVSP, due to a 1996 first-degree murder conviction.

According to court records, Bernal and Dunn allegedly paid a janitor at KVSP more than $7,500 between January and September 2025 to bring contraband into the prison.

Authorities allege Bernal met the janitor at hotels in Delano, where she provided him with the contraband. Payments were allegedly made through electronic transactions and cash.

The janitor then allegedly brought the items into KVSP using various methods, including concealing them in his lunch bag.

Officials began conducting enhanced security inspections of employees because of increasing levels of contraband found at the prison, according to court records. The inspections resulted in the janitor being caught in September 2025.

Authorities executed a search warrant at Bernal’s Victorville home on Aug. 20, 2026, after which she was taken into custody. She was scheduled to make her initial appearance the same day.

Dunn is being transferred from state custody into federal custody and is scheduled to make his initial appearance Aug. 28, 2026.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Office of Internal Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Arelis Clemente and Joseph Barton are prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Bernal faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison, along with a fine of up to $10 million.

Dunn faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison, along with a fine of up to $20 million. According to federal prosecutors, Dunn faces higher penalties because of his prior murder conviction.

The janitor has pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced in December 2025, according to the information provided by prosecutors. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, as well as a fine of up to $10 million.

Editor’s note: The provided federal statement says the janitor is scheduled to be sentenced in December 2025, a date that precedes the Aug. 20, 2026 announcement. VVNG has retained the date as provided rather than assuming a correction.

Any sentence would be determined by the court after consideration of applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The charges against Bernal and Dunn are allegations. They are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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