Bay Area

Former San Quentin Prison Guard Pleads Guilty in Cellphone Smuggling Operation

Former guard Keith Christopher, Isaiah Wells and Dustin Albini pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and bribery of a public official, according to federal prosecutors. The trio, along with Tanisa Smith-Symes who pleaded guilty earlier to the same charges, carried out a plan to smuggle a total of 25 phones into the prison in 2019 and 2020 for a prisoner identified only as “Inmate 1” in court documents, prosecutors said in a news release Monday.

Published

1 year ago

September 28, 2022

Oakland Post

The defendants pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, which carries a 20-year maximum sentence and a $250,000 fine, and two counts of bribery of a public official, which carries a 10-year maximum sentence and a $250,000 fine. (Photo: iStockPhoto / Post News Group)

By Bay City News

A former San Quentin State Prison guard and two others pleaded guilty Sept. 16 to charges in a scheme to smuggle cellphones onto death row, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The trio, along with Tanisa Smith-Symes who pleaded guilty earlier to the same charges, carried out a plan to smuggle a total of 25 phones into the prison in 2019 and 2020 for a prisoner identified only as “Inmate 1” in court documents, prosecutors said in a news release Monday.

Smith-Symes was in a romantic relationship with the inmate who received the phones so he could sell them to other prisoners.

Prosecutors said she paid bribes of $5,000 and $6,500 to Albini and Wells and that Christopher collected the money and delivered the phones to the inmate.

Christopher and Wells are scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 13, 2023, and Albini and Smith-Symes are scheduled for status hearings on Sept. 15, 2023.

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Oakland Post: Week of September 27 – October 3, 2023

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 27 – October 3, 2023

Published

1 day ago

September 29, 2023

Oakland Post

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 27 - October 3, 2023

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Bay Area

Writer Marc Spears Honored in Oakland

Bay Area leaders and key notables in the city of Oakland congratulated Marc Spears, NBA writer for Andscape/ESPN for receiving the 2023 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Curt Gowdy Media Award

Published

2 days ago

September 28, 2023

Oakland Post

Bay Area leaders and key notables in the city of Oakland congratulated Marc Spears, NBA writer for Andscape/ESPN for receiving the 2023 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Curt Gowdy Media Award. The event was held at Hiiiwav, a new location at 2781 Telegraph in Oakland recently purchased by Grammy Award-winner Bosko Kante and his wife Maya Kante. Pictured here, left to right, are Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce President Cathy Adams, Chef David Lawrence, Marc Spears, and Nola Turnage of Okta, Inc. Photo courtesy of Cathy Adams.

Bay Area

Justice for Jose Alejandro Zavala Aguilar — Family Seeks Justice for Murdered Son

Jose Alejandro Zavala Aguilar was a vibrant, charismatic 27-year-old. On the evening of Nov. 18, 2020, Jose was brutally murdered in the 5700 block of Trask Street.

Published

2 days ago

September 28, 2023

Oakland Post

Jose Alejandro Zavala Aguilar. Courtesy photo.

Special to The Post

Jose Alejandro Zavala Aguilar was a vibrant, charismatic 27-year-old. On the evening of Nov. 18, 2020, Jose was brutally murdered in the 5700 block of Trask Street.

His family remembers him as a noble young man, who loved soccer and the Chivas de Guadalajara team, was caring, responsible and always grateful to everyone who touched his life. Studying to be a welder at Chabot College so that he could open a mechanical and welding workshop, his promising life was cut tragically short.

His family said, “The impact of the death of our son left us with a deep feeling of emptiness. Since 18-Nov-2020, all the members of the Zavala Aguilar family have mutilated our souls, causing a lot of sadness, fear, courage and frustration in all emotional, psychological, physical and financial aspects to the point of not wanting to do basic and simple things like eating and sleeping as well as not knowing anything about continuing to work for our desires.”

The Family Support Advocates join with Jose Alejandro Zavala Aguilar’s grieving family and loved ones in their pursuit of justice.

Anyone in the community with information about Jose’s murder is asked to contact the Homicide Section at (510) 238-3821 or the TIP LINE at (510) 238-7950. CrimeStoppers of Oakland is offering a reward for an arrest in this case. #JusticeforJose.

FAMILY SUPPORT ADVOCACY TASK FORCE

The mission of the Family Support Advocacy Task Force, a committee of the Violence Prevention Coalition, is to advocate for local, state and federal policies and legislation to enhance and expand support to families and friends of those who experienced violence; for more compassionate and transparent communication between law enforcement and the district attorney with the family of homicide victims and to push for the elimination of all violence, but particularly gun violence and homicides.