Former North Bay prison guard pleads guilty for planting drugs he pretended to find

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U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Roniel Tolentino, right, and Avelino Ramirez, center, St. Quentin state prison K-9 officer and evaluator, prepare Richard Godinez, Valley State Prison K-9 officer, to start an evaluation during a joint training exercise Apri

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VACAVILLE, Calif. - A former prison guard with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation pleaded guilty to wire fraud after he planted contraband to boost his status and earn him a promotion, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

Avelino Ramirez formerly worked as an investigative services unit K-9 officer at the San Quentin State Prison from 2013 to September 2022 before he was promoted to K-9 sergeant and worked at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville in November 2022.

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According to federal prosecutors, the 52-year-old Vallejo man planted drugs, drug paraphernalia, tobacco, cellphones, and weapons in common areas of both prisons that he would then pretend to discover.

Officials said he did so to stand out as a successful K-9 officer and to be promoted to sergeant.
The narcotics Ramirez would discover were mixed with salt or sugar, and the marijuana mixed with lawn trimmings, officials said.

Additionally, Ramirez claimed overtime related to searches where forbidden items were recovered and wrote reports of these fake discoveries, garnering around $8,200 in overtime pay, prosecutors said.

Ramirez began his scheme in October 2021 and continued through February 2024 before being put on administrative leave later that month, according to prosecutors.

Ramirez was released on bond and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 18.