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Former Pennsylvania Prison Guard and Prisoner Charged with Child Sex Trafficking
Loaded on June 3, 2016
by David Reutter
published in Prison Legal News
June, 2016, page 51
Filed under:
Guard Misconduct.
Location:
Pennsylvania.
An unlikely alliance between a prison guard and a former prisoner ended in both being charged with enslaving two teenagers and forcing them into prostitution.
While serving time for a parole violation and drug offense from February 2007 to September 2008, Pennsylvania prisoner Rasul Abernathy, 32, met guard …
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More from this issue:
- Incarceration, Justice and the Planet: How the Fight Against Toxic Prisons May Shape the Future of Environmentalism, by Panagioti Tsolkas
- U.S. Prisons Filled with America’s Mentally Ill, by Derek Gilna
- $8,000 Settlement for Medical Maltreatment by BOP; Court Finds Experts Not Required, by Derek Gilna
- Three California Jail Guards Charged in “Fight Club” Case
- No Place for Old Men
- California: City Council Hears Proposal to Repurpose Empty Prison as Pot Farm
- San Bernardino County Jail Named in Federal Lawsuit, by Christopher Zoukis
- Illinois Prisoner Wins $125,000 Civil Rights Jury Verdict, by Derek Gilna
- Seventh Circuit Reverses Denial of Former Prison Guard’s Marriage to Prisoner, by Derek Gilna
- Bail Bond Payment Plans Face Scrutiny, Criticism in New Jersey, by Joe Watson
- Private Prison Firms Reap Large Profits from Immigration Detention, by Gary Hunter
- Seventh Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Illinois Prisoner’s § 1983 Action, by Derek Gilna
- Crime, Incarceration Rates Decline in New York City, by Mark Wilson
- Tenth Circuit Affirms Murder Conviction Called into Question by New DNA Evidence, by Derek Gilna
- Fifth Circuit Holds Texas Prisoner Has Right to Grow “Fist-Length” Beard
- UK Prisoner Pen Pal Program Relieves Feelings of Isolation, by Derek Gilna
- Another WA DOC Asbestos Abatement Program Shut Down; Prison Officials Fined, by Mark Wilson
- Prisoners Protest Solitary Confinement at Illinois Facility, by Joe Watson
- Former Pennsylvania Prison Guard and Prisoner Charged with Child Sex Trafficking, by David Reutter
- Exonerees Fulfill Dreams, Help Other Prisoners Overcome Wrongful Convictions, by David Reutter
- Florida: Drug Arrest Costs Former Prison Official Retirement Benefits
- New York Court of Claims Awards $1.75 Million to Prisoner’s Estate, by Derek Gilna
- Female Prisoners in United Kingdom Make Designer Bags, by Derek Gilna
- Washington DOC Ends Marijuana Testing for Parolees, by Christopher Zoukis
- Sixth Circuit Rejects Qualified Immunity Defense by Guards in Wrongful Death Suit, by Derek Gilna
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Finds DOC Violated RLUIPA, Prior Settlement Agreement, by Derek Gilna
- Former Wisconsin Corrections Secretary Fired
- Study of Incarceration from 1999 to 2014 Shows Modest Decline in Prison Populations, by Derek Gilna
- California Federal Court Rules Early Release Program Cannot be Restricted to Women, by Derek Gilna
- Former Georgia Judge Faces Criminal Charges
- Troubled North Dakota Jail to be Reviewed by Feds
- Increasing Number of Jails, Prisons Using Full-body Digital Scanners, by Matthew Clarke
- Mississippi Town Ordered to Abandon “Secured Bail” Arrest Bond System
- Problems with California’s New Medical Prison, by Matthew Clarke
- Newspaper Ban at Cook County Jail Violates First Amendment, by Derek Gilna
- California’s Broken Death Penalty System, by Christopher Zoukis
- Prisoner’s Deliberate Indifference Suit Over Tooth Abscess Reinstated by Seventh Circuit, by Derek Gilna
- Benefits of Allowing Prisoners to Raise Babies Born in Prison, by Matthew Clarke
- Wrongful Death Suit Against Illinois Jail Survives Summary Judgment , by Derek Gilna
- Special Supervised Release Conditions Require Sufficient Findings
- “Scared Straight” Programs are Counterproductive, by Derek Gilna
- Custodial Interrogation of Parolee Requires Miranda Warnings
- A Prison Telecom in Sheep’s Clothing, by Carrie Wilkinson
- Wrongfully Convicted Former Prisoner Commits Suicide
- Lifesaving Overdose Treatment Slowly Becoming Available to Released Prisoners, by Christopher Zoukis
- California State Prisoner’s Habeas Case Gets to Supreme Court but Falls Short, by Derek Gilna
- Company Owes Nevada Prison Industries $428,000, by Bob Sloan
- Advocates Leery of Cell Phones Given to Undocumented Immigrants, by Derek Gilna
- U.S. Department of Education Offers Second Chance Pell Pilot Program, by Christopher Zoukis
- U.S. Supreme Court Holds Prior ACCA Ruling Retroactive, by Derek Gilna
- UK Supreme Court Rules Against Unlawful Use of Solitary Confinement, by Christopher Zoukis
- Penal Servitude: A Reminder about the U.S. Constitution’s 13th Amendment Exclusion Clause
- Colombia: At Least 100 Dismembered Bodies Found in Prison Sewers
- Louisiana Parish Saddled With Large Jail, Large Costs , by Matthew Clarke
- Disputed PLRA Administrative Exhaustion Issues Properly Resolved in Bench Trial
- Music Publishers Sue Companies Providing Mixtapes for Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- News in Brief
More from David Reutter:
- Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, March 1, 2026
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Holds Motion Judge Abused Discretion by Denying Evidentiary Hearing on IAC Claim Where Plea Counsel’s Affidavit Was Not Inherently Inconsistent With Colloquy Statements Regarding Immigration Advice, March 1, 2026
- Washington Supreme Court Clarifies Double Jeopardy Analysis for Multiple Assault Convictions, Holding That Assaultive Acts Occurring Over Short Time Period in Same Location Without Intervening Events Constitute Single Course of Conduct, March 1, 2026
- New Jersey Supreme Court Reverses Drug Convictions Under Cumulative Error Doctrine, Holding Combined Effect of Improper References to Television Series, Gun Violence, and Search Warrants Deprived Defendant of Fair Trial, March 1, 2026
- New York Court of Appeals Announces Coercive Police Tactics Compelling Suspect to Exit Home Constitute “Constructive Entry” Violating Payton, Holds Attenuation Analysis Applies to Third-Party Consent, March 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Revives Deliberate Indifference Claim for Baltimore Detainee Served Rotten Food, March 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Clarifies Revocation Appeal Provides “Procedurally Appropriate Mechanism” for Raising Rogers Challenge to Unannounced Supervised Release Conditions, Vacates Revocation Judgment Based on Null Standard Conditions, March 1, 2026
- Eleventh Circuit: District Court Erred in Dismissing BOP Prisoner’s Medical Claim, Finds Prison Officials Made Administrative Remedies Unavailable, March 1, 2026
- Tenth Circuit Affirmed Denial of Guards Qualified Immunity in Disabled Detainee’s Fourteenth Amendment Claim, March 1, 2026
- The Malleable Mind in the Courtroom: Why Confident Eyewitnesses Often Provide the Least Reliable Evidence, Oct. 15, 2025
More from these topics:
- Idaho Struggles to Respond to Devasting Report of Widespread Prisoner Sex Abuse, April 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Prison Rape Elimination Act, State Legislation, Public Records Act.
- 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.

