By Joshua Byers
The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — A federal grand jury has indicted two former Cambria County Prison employees, inmates and others on charges of violating racketeering laws related to activities inside the jail, authorities said Monday.
Former Cambria County Prison correctional officer Lakesha Stith, 45, of Johnstown, and former medical staff nurse Asiah Young-Atwell, 30, of Johnstown, were brought up on charges alongside eight others for an alleged smuggling scheme carried out between July and December 2023.
Others indicted were Ashley Aguilar, 26, of Arizona; Mikal Davis, 48, incarcerated at Indiana County Jail; James Johnson-Ross, 26, of Altoona; Marcos Monarrez Jr ., 26, incarcerated at FDC Philadelphia; Jessica Niebauer, 34, of Altoona; Monique Valencia, 29, of Arizona; Blake Young, 36, incarcerated at SCI-Laurel Highlands; and Carlos Zamora, 29, incarcerated at Northeast Ohio Correctional Center.
The indictment alleges that Stith and Young-Atwell received bribes from inmates Davis, Johnson-Ross, Monarrez, Young and Zamora in exchange for bringing contraband – including controlled substances such as the synthetic cannabinoid K2, tetrahydrocannabinol and Suboxone; cellphones; security tools; and cigarettes – into the prison, according to a press release from Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti’s office.
Stith and Young-Atwell would allegedly hide the contraband in lunch bags and containers to smuggle it into the prison and deliver it to various locations throughout the prison, such as pre-arranged stash locations, private examination rooms in the medical department, and cells. The two prison employees also allegedly warned inmates of planned cell searches.
The inmates allegedly would use the phones to coordinate smuggling with not only Stith and Young-Atwell, but also Aguilar, Niebauer and Valencia outside the Cambria County Prison, according to the press release.
Cellphones allegedly were also sold to other inmates at an average price of $10,000, while Suboxone strips fetched a profit of $75 to $250.
“It is extremely dangerous when individuals employed within our prison systems choose to abuse their authority at the expense of the safety and well-being of inmates they are charged with overseeing,” Rivetti said in a release.
He added that these actions will be “prosecuted regardless of whether those committing the acts are inside or outside of the confines of the prison.”
Cambria County District Attorney Greg Neugebauer said in a statement that when it “became apparent that certain individuals within the Cambria County Prison were engaging in corrupt activities, prison leadership, the Prison Board and law enforcement took appropriate steps” with federal partners to “ensure that these perpetrators of criminal activity were brought to justice.”
Stith, Young-Atwell, Davis, Johnson-Ross, Monarrez, Young and Zamora are charged in Count One of the two-count indictment with conducting and participating in the affairs of an enterprise through racketeering activity, court documents indicate. Aguilar, Niebauer and Valencia are charged in Count Two with conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to the documents.
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The racketeering laws that were allegedly violated include acts of bribery conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute various controlled substances, according to the press release. The law provides for a maximum total sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maureen Sheehan-Balchon and Shaun Sweeney are prosecuting the case.
Cambria County Prison, the Cambria County District Attorney’s Office, the FBI and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation that led to the indictment.
Neugebauer said he appreciates the “special relationship” local authorities have with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and thanked them for their hard work on this case.
“This is yet another example of the successes our community experiences when local, state and federal entities all work together toward a common goal,” he said.
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