OFF THE WIRE
Bob Kalinowski
citizensvoice.com
Alleged drug-dealing prison guard Christopher Walsh appeared in court Tuesday and faced two former co-workers who prosecutors say were customers in his drug trafficking operation.
Like he did in grand jury testimony, Joseph Ciampi testified he purchased cocaine from Walsh four times in 2008 and 2009. Ciampi also revealed that Walsh approached him in May 2009, asking him to invest $1,000 to further the operation. Ciampi said he declined.
Walsh and Ciampi are suspended from their jobs at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility.
Walsh, 28, a corrections officer, was suspended after he, another corrections officer and two former prison employees were charged March 10 with drug crimes by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.
Ciampi, 43, a corporal at the prison, was suspended after his name surfaced in unsealed grand jury documents as a purchaser of the cocaine. However, he was not charged with any crimes.
Former corrections officer John Gonda also testified Tuesday that he purchased cocaine from Walsh on three occasions in the fall of 2008.
Prosecutors said none of the drug transactions involving Walsh, Ciampi and Gonda occurred in the prison.
Walsh remains free on bail.
Gonda was fired after his March 2009 arrest in a multimillion-dollar drug bust targeting the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. Prosecutors said Gonda became a key witness in the case against Walsh, suspended corrections officer Jason Fierman, former prison nurse Kevin Warman and former prison Capt. John Carey.
Authorities allege Warman, 50, of Edwardsville, used fictitious names or the names of former inmates to obtain prescription pain medication and other controlled substances from pharmacies on behalf of the prison. The drugs were allegedly used by Warman and distributed to other prison employees and corrections officers.
Carey, 37, of Kingston, allegedly received deliveries of cocaine on numerous occasions from other prison employees, particularly Gonda, and former inmates, authorities allege.
Fierman, 35, of Dallas, is accused of taking delivery of, or selling cocaine to, others inside the prison. Additionally, Fierman allegedly sold prescription drugs to inmates he was supervising at the prison, along with other individuals.
Preliminary hearings for Warman, Carey and Fierman are set for April. this is an ongoing investigation," Deputy Attorney General Tim Doherty said. "We're confident about the case and that we will do well in court."
bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com
570-821-2055
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