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Joseph Piazza was just in his first months on the job when he began to investigate.
WILKES-BARRE – Luzerne County Correctional Facility Warden Joseph Piazza said he thought it was strange that the prison’s nursing supervisor left each day to pick up medications, given that the pharmacy made daily deliveries to the prison.
Piazza, who was hired in February 2009, was just in his first months on the job and was looking into the operations of various departments. His suspicions prompted him to investigate more.
When he discovered prescriptions being filled for inmates who were no longer imprisoned, he knew there was a problem.
Piazza’s investigation, coupled with information from several informants, led to the arrest Thursday of the former nursing supervisor, Kevin Warman, and three other current or former prison employees on drug charges.
“We were watching the bills and seeing that some inmates were getting exorbitant amounts of different types of drugs and very frequent intervals,” Piazza said. “Then we started checking names and found out they weren’t real inmates.”
Piazza advised the prison board, which immediately contacted law enforcement authorities.
The state Office of Attorney General presented the information, plus testimony from several inmates and current and former guards who bought or sold drugs, to a statewide grand jury. The 13-month investigation resulted in the filing of charges against Warman and his one-time co-worker, former Capt. John Carey, as well as two current guards, Jason Fierman and Chris Walsh.
The arrests mark the second time in six years that guards have been charged with selling drugs inside the prison. In 2003, Gordon Mason, Peter Achey and Shawn Cunningham were charged after an investigation that was prompted by complaints filed by other guards. All three men later pleaded guilty to the charges.
In the latest case, authorities say Warman and Fierman provided drugs to inmates and other guards. Carey is accused of purchasing drugs from another former guard, John Gonda, while Walsh is accused of selling drugs to another guard, but not to inmates.
Fierman previously ran afoul of the law in 2004, when he and a friend, David Jaslar, were charged with setting a 1999 fire that destroyed a building on North Main Street in Wilkes-Barre. The charges against both men were later dismissed for a lack of evidence.
Walsh and Fierman have been suspended without pay, as has Cpl. Joseph Ciampi, who was not charged but has admitted that he purchased drugs from Walsh, according to grand jury documents.
In his testimony before the grand jury, Warman said he was able to get away with the scheme because he was the only person keeping track of medications coming into and being dispensed at the prison.
Piazza said Friday the system has been completely revamped to ensure there are adequate checks and balances.
“We have a least two or three layers of checks and balances,” Piazza said. “We do an inventory every day to make sure nothing is missing. If there are any red flags, I’m notified.”
Piazza and Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla said they were aware of the investigation for more than a year, but, other than Warman, they did not know which prison employees were the target of the probe.
“It took longer than we expected. We had anticipated this would be resolved over a year ago, but it took time,” Petrilla said. “We were a little impatient as to why nothing was happening, but in the long run they did a thorough investigation and made an arrest.”
Petrilla commended Piazza for his efforts in the investigation.
“We are committed to cleaning up the mess,” Petrilla said. “Hopefully this will send a message to anyone contemplating participating in this type of activity.”