By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com
A former correctional officer has pleaded guilty to bringing marijuana and a gun into California State Prison, Sacramento, and to conspiracy to distribute cell phones to inmates.
Domingo Gardea Garcia, 40, entered the plea Wednesday in Sacramento Superior Court. He will be sentenced April 26 by Judge Gary E. Ransom.
Under the terms of his plea, Garcia will not be sentenced to state prison and will get no more than a year in county jail.
Garcia, left, was placed on administrative leave following his arrest in November. A nine-year veteran, he resigned on Jan. 26, after he had been served with dismissal papers a week earlier.
In his plea, the officer admitted to furnishing marijuana to an inmate and to bringing a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun along with 50 rounds of ammo and two knives onto the prison grounds in Folsom.
Garcia pleaded guilty in the conspiracy count to receiving $1,500 from an inmate to bring in a cell phone for another convict. He also received $1,300 from a woman through a Western Union money transfer, possessed 19 pieces of inmate correspondence that included pay and owe sheets, and he had nine cell phones at his residence, according to the criminal complaint’s outline of the cell phone conspiracy.
Deputy District Attorney Steve Secrest said Garcia told investigators he got involved in the illegal activity to make ends meet after his pay was cut through the state furlough program.
It was an inmate who told authorities about the officer’s involvement in the ring, Secrest said. According to the prosecutor, an inmate identified as Ken Hanks got caught with a cell phone and marijuana, then came forward with the information about Garcia.
The officer could not be reached for comment and his attorney, Assistant Public Defender Addie Louise Young, declined to comment.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Terry Thornton said Garcia’s misconduct is rare.
“It doesn’t happen very often,” she said. “We have more than 60,000 employees in the department and nearly all of them do a very good job at what they do. However, the department has zero tolerance of staff misconduct, and all allegations of staff misconduct are investigated. We take this very seriously.”
Prison Reform Movement's Weblog- America: Land of the Free, Home of the Incarcerated 
Well Mr BIG CHORIZO…. you must one of ‘them there guards’….your propaganda goes upon deaf ears because we are familiar with your game. scare tactics…who is pushing for child molester rights?? No one here….now lets tell the truth..violent offenders seldom make parole- even when they show they have been down for LONG periods of time and may have been rehabilitated. Shame on you….
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The biggest flaw in the prison system is that the only difference in their lifestyle behind bars is the fact that they are behind bars. All these liberal yuppies blabbing about their rights…when someone commits murder, rape, sodomy, assault, or any other serious crime they should be punished justly, and in my opinion have forfeited most of those rights. Being put behind a big wall where they get to congregate with other dirtbags and roll around like they are back be-bopping on the block is hardly a punishment. Even repeat offenders receive minimal sentences. So you go push for a child molester’s rights while incarcerated, because I doubt you’ll be singing the same tune when he gets paroled and moves in next door to you and your children.
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This type of corruption goes on all the time. Yet, spokeswoman Terry Thornton has the same stock answers when the department looks bad. “it’s rare,” I heard “It’s not true” from her in January when she responded to Chino inmate’s complaints of being held outdoors in cages day and night with only their boxers, shoes and socks. They cooked in the sun during the day and froze at night with no blankets. We all know the story. To me it’s just the same ole, same ole!
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The custody staff will blame most contraband smuggling on visitors. What they don’t tell you is when it IS done by visitors, it is because the visiting staff CO’s look the other way. It is the same thing as doing it themselves, but they don’t have to get their hands dirty that way.
Hey, you gotta pay for that new home, Escalade, the ski boat, the vacation to Cabo. Can’t keep up that standard of living on state wages alone ya know.
Unfreaking believable about this guy….A handgun and 50 rounds of ammo? No state prison time and a one year max county jail term? No wonder he’s got a smirk on his mugshot photo. I Wonder if someone off the street would have been offered such a sweet deal for such a serious charge? Hmmm?
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VERY single person that is employed at a prison should have to be searched before reporting for their shift…Dogs, metal detector, wand…Its not visitors that bring the majority of contraband in, it is CO’s and Free Staff…they dont have to pass through a metal detector like visitors. CCPOA refuses to allow this policy….who are the dummies??
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