Fayette County jail, court employees arrested in drug dealing investigations
Two guards at the Fayette County Prison, four inmates and two women on the outside are charged in connection with a drug smuggling scheme at the Uniontown jail, according to court papers.
The scheme started to unravel in April when guard Angela Rae Powell, 37, of East Uniontown was seen passing an inmate a book that later was found to contain Suboxone strips and marijuana, police said. About 10 days later, a package containing loose tobacco was found taped to the leg of guard Riley Christopher Platt, 25, of Dunbar Township as he reported to work, police said.
“We never knew the depth to which the drug activity was going on at the prison,” said Fayette County District Attorney Rich Bower.
He announced charges in 30 cases against 23 people Thursday as a result of the work of a grand jury that has heard evidence since being seated in February. Operation Clean Sweep was the result of combined efforts from prosecutors, county detectives, state police and officers in Uniontown and Connellsville.
The cases, many of which are unrelated, involve seven county employees in the jail and court system, several inmates and others.
“This is a deep-seated problem,” Bower said. “The corruption that has gone on here has gone on for many years.”
State police Capt. Leo Hannon said investigators waded through a mountain of evidence to present to the grand jury.
“You’ve heard of acts of corruption, corruption that can corrode away trust in our public officials, corruption that can cause good people to feel cynicism toward a system put in place to protect … but you also heard a relentless pursuit by representatives of that same system — attorneys, detectives, police officers and troopers,” he said.
Platt is charged with corrupt organizations, money laundering, conspiracy, bribery and related offenses. Powell is facing drug, contraband, conspiracy and related charges.
Authorities said Powell worked with inmates Charles Edward Lynn, 41, of Georges Township and Joshua Lee Mulnix, 26, of Bullskin Township. Investigators searched her bag after she was seen passing the book and found three vacuum-sealed bags containing loose tobacco, according to court papers.
Platt is accused of involvement with inmates Lynn, Joseph Cyril Stenger, 38, of Connellsville and Keith Scott Bradshaw, 32, of Everson. Platt told investigators he met with Bradshaw’s mother, Sherry Lynn Murphy, 61, of Scottdale, and a woman associated with Lynn, Kathleen Joy Dixon, 52, of Clearfield County, to get money in exchange for drugs. Two other women who have not been identified are accused of involvement in the ring, Bower said.
In both cases, investigators said they listened to jailhouse phone calls, during which payments and drugs were discussed, as well as watched surveillance video. Bower said synthetic marijuana, or K2, Xanax and Suboxone and loose tobacco were among the contraband smuggled into the jail.
The grand jury also found charges were warranted in other unrelated cases, including:
• Jail Deputy Warden Michael Zavada, 58, of Dunbar Township is charged with conspiracy and money laundering for allegedly bringing a cellphone to an inmate in May 2018.
• Corrections Officer Cordavan Bussey, 37, of Springhill Township is charged with official oppression and tampering with public records for allegedly filing a false report about a May assault at the jail and failing to do anything about the fight, according to court papers. A man lost numerous teeth as a result of the assault, police said.
• Corrections Officer Scott Dewayne Bush, 46, of Connellsville is charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, official oppression and related offenses. Authorities said a former inmate performed work on his car, and Bush threatened him with a gun during a civil dispute in January.
• William Victor, 50, a state prison inmate in Schuylkill County, is charged with terroristic threats and harassment for allegedly sending a threatening letter to a county judge and local attorney in February.
• Inmate Ryan Miciotto, 28, of Allison is charged with drug offenses after authorities found him in possession of methamphetamine in March. A juvenile inmate also is charged in that case.
• Inmates Randy Allen Smithburger, 29, of Luzerne Township and Kevin Louis Santore, 33, of Grindstone, along with Heather Nicole Cornish, 35, of East Uniontown, are facing drug charges. Cornish is accused of leaving drugs for both men to pick up and take into the jail. Authorities listened to phone calls and saw Cornish leaving the packages while conducting surveillance, according to court papers.
Bower said some of the suspects remain incarcerated and others have been asked to turn themselves in. Copies of criminal complaints were provided by authorities Thursday, but online court records were not available.
Two other investigations that surfaced during the grand jury’s work have been turned over to the U.S. Attorney’s office for potential federal prosecution, Bower said.
“This has been something that’s needed to be done for a long time in this county,” he said. “We have overwhelming evidence of all this stuff.”
Renatta Signorini is a TribLive reporter covering breaking news, crime, courts and Jeannette. She has been working at the Trib since 2005. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.
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