Second official charged with extortion at Pennsylvania jail

SCRANTON, PA. >> A second employee at a northeastern Pennsylvania county jail has been charged with extorting money and drugs from inmates in return for special privileges and has agreed to plead guilty. Federal prosecutors in Scranton filed charges against Luzerne County guard John Stachokus, 41, of Plains Township, on Tuesday. They come after 52-year-old Louis Elmy, of Wilkes-Barre, pleaded guilty last month.

Vincent Cappellini, an attorney representing Stachokus, didn’t immediately return a call for comment Thursday. Both men signed a plea agreement dated Aug. 1 and filed it with federal courts Tuesday.

The agreement references a criminal information charging Stachokus with extortion and witness tampering. The charges accuse Stachokus of taking money and alcohol from a cooperating witness, an inmate who was serving a work-release sentence and employed by a real estate firm. The inmate had financial problems and needed furloughs so he could work to provide for his family, and Stachokus allegedly demanded the cash and alcohol to help arrange the furloughs. Other inmates also paid Stachokus for similar illegal privileges through the cooperating inmate, who also helped Stachokus obtain cocaine, according to the charges. The incidents occurred from November 2013 through February. Stachokus also is accused of trying to get an unidentified witness to fabricate an explanation for the illegal furloughs when the witness was interviewed by investigators in May.

The charges carry up to 20 years in prison each and, according to the plea agreement. There’s no agreedupon sentence or sentencing recommendation by the prosecutors. Stachokus was put on administrative leave Wednesday, while an internal investigation and hearing are scheduled so he can be fired, County Manager C. David Pedri said.

County administrators have been cooperating with the feds and “thanks investigators for their hard work,” Pedri said.

Elmy worked as a guard at the jail before he became its work-release counselor and faked court orders granting work release privileges to inmates in exchange for money and drugs. He faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to an extortion charge, plus up to life in prison for possessing a gun when he participated in some related drug deals. Elmy has resigned. His sentencing date hasn’t been set.