SAN FRANCISCO – A former state correctional officer pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of wire fraud in connection with a plot to plant contraband he then pretended to discover, prosecutors said.
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Avelino Ramirez, 52, of Vallejo, faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on Sept. 18, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Ramirez worked as a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation K-9 officer at San Quentin State Prison from 2013 until September 2022, when he was promoted to sergeant. Two months later, he took a job at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville.
From October 2021 to February 2024, Ramirez engaged in a scheme to smuggle and then plant contraband in common areas of the prison and medical facility, prosecutors said. The illicit items included marijuana, cocaine, cell phones and weapons.
According to prosecutors, he sometimes mixed the drugs he planted in the prison with salt or sugar and lawn trimmings.
Ramirez pretended to discover the contraband, prosecutors said, adding that in doing so, he hoped to hold himself out as a successful officer and win a promotion.
He also tried to inflate his salary by claiming overtime related to searches where the illicit items were seized and writing reports about the discoveries, according to prosecutors.
In total, Ramirez fraudulently obtained about $8,200 in overtime pay, prosecutors said.
A federal grand jury indicted Ramirez on Oct. 31, 2024. He is currently out on bond.