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Pennsylvania Prison Guard Convicted in Drug Probe, Testifies Against Coworkers
Loaded on June 15, 2012
published in Prison Legal News
June, 2012, page 46
Former Luzerne County Correctional Facility guard John Gonda, known as “G-Unit,” was the subject of an investigation called Operation Avalanche after authorities received tips he was selling “large quantities [of drugs] in the Wilkes-Barre area.” The probe targeted the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, and Gonda was among 22 people charged in …
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More from this issue:
- God’s Own Warden: If you ever find yourself inside Louisiana’s Angola prison, Burl Cain will make sure you find Jesus – or regret ever crossing his path, by James Ridgeway
- Angola: A Prison Passion Play, by John Dannenberg
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- No Budget Cuts for Federal Prisons, by James Ridgeway
- Death Sentences, Executions Remain at Low Levels, by Justin Miller
- Dallas County Passes Jail Inspections ... Finally
- Michigan Sex Offender’s Suicide Results in Changes to Sex Offender Registry Law, by Matthew Clarke
- California Lifers: Deaths Exceed Parole Releases, by John Dannenberg
- Background Checks that Bar Employment of Ex-offenders May Violate Civil Rights
- Class-Action Settlement Cures Constitutional Violations at Pennsylvania Prison
- Hawaii ACLU Files Suit on Behalf of Women Who Want to Marry Prisoners, by Alex Friedmann
- Wrongful Convictions Prove Costly, Especially for the Wrongly Convicted, by Matthew Clarke
- Guard Who Identified Over 100 Prison Rioters Pleads Guilty to Contraband Charge
- Oregon Increases Sex Offender Registration Requirements
- Washington Prison Video Surveillance Recordings Exempt from Disclosure Under Public Records Act, by Michael Brodheim
- Florida Closes Oldest Boy’s School, Best Known for Abusive Past
- Federal Investigation, Prosecution Targets Indiana Sheriff’s Officers, by Derek Gilna
- Failure to Advise Defendant of Ineligibility for Early Release Credits Renders Guilty Plea Invalid
- CCA Anti-Prison Rape Shareholder Resolution Fails to Pass
- Ninth Circuit Rules that Washington DOC Religious Contractor Not a “State Actor”
- Ohio Wrongful Conviction Results in $2.59 Million Settlement
- Ninth Circuit Holds No Due Process Right Created by California’s Parole Scheme
- Arizona Jails Refuse to Incarcerate Some Offenders
- The Last Gasp: The Rise and Fall of the American Gas Chamber, by Scott Christianson (University of California Press, 2011)., by Julie Etter
- California Study Finds State Prison Overcrowding Driven by County Policy Decisions, Not Violent Crime Rates
- Pennsylvania County Prisons Not Reporting Critical Incidents
- Former BOP Guard Convicted, Sentenced in Murder-for-Hire Case
- Iowa Supreme Court Holds Billing for Fraudulent Prisoner Phone Calls Not a State Law Violation
- No “Strike” Under PLRA When Some Claims are Heard on the Merits, by Brandon Sample
- Tenth Circuit Voids Albuquerque’s Attempt to Ban Sex Offenders from Libraries, by Derek Gilna
- $47,500 Awarded to Massachusetts Prisoner Held in Segregation Without Hearing
- Second BOP Guard Convicted in Connection with Prisoner’s Murder, by Brandon Sample
- Seven Florida Prison Guards Arrested
- Washington Prisoners Have No Right to Inspect Records Under Public Records Act, by Brandon Sample
- Pennsylvania Prison Guard Convicted in Drug Probe, Testifies Against Coworkers
- Judge, Not Jury, Must Resolve Questions about Administrative Exhaustion
- $500,000 Settlement in Pennsylvania Jail Prisoner’s Medical-Related Death
- ACLU Report Proves Smart Criminal Justice Policy Reform is Possible, by David Reutter
- News in Brief
More from these topics:
- Leaked Video Footage Shows California Prison Guards Engaged in Retaliatory Assault, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Retaliation for Filing Grievances, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Prison Rape Elimination Act.
- U.S. Sentencing Commission Report Breaks Down Federal Contraband Sentences, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Mechanical Searches/Scanners, Statistics/Trends, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Bribery/Extortion/Theft.
- “Devil in the Ozarks” Gets 13 More Years for Escape, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Escapes, Security Systems, Authentication/Identification.
- Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Conspiracies, Attempts, Solicitations, False Statements/Perjury, Possession or Use of Firearms, Abuse of Position of Trust.
- New York Governor Pulls Plug on Prison Watchdog Funding, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Prison Reform, Conditions of Confinement, Guards/Staff, State Legislation.
- Punished for Bleeding: How Periods in Prison Become a Trap, Feb. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Gender Discrimination -- Women, Strip Searches, Hygiene Supplies, Discrimination (Transgender).
- Differing Judicial Outcomes for the New York Guards Who Killed Robert Brooks, Feb. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Pending Appeal/Sentencing.
- The New York Prison System’s Culture of Cruelty and Impunity, Feb. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Racial Discrimination, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death).
- Amnesty International Report Claims Torture and Enforced Disappearances at “Alligator Alcatraz”, Jan. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Totality of Conditions, Detention - Generally, Cruel and Unusual Punishment, Confinement in Segregated Housing.
- Louisiana Detainee Captured After Two Previous Escapes, Dec. 1, 2025. Criminal Prosecution, Escapes, Jail Specific, Assaults on Staff, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration.

