Cook at LCCF accused of delivering controlled substances into the facility

Kevin Carroll, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·2 min read

Aug. 30—A cook at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility was arrested Friday on charges that he had been delivering controlled substances into the facility in exchange for cash payouts.

The Luzerne County District Attorney's Office announced today the arrest of Christopher Maloney, 37, address listed as Prospect Avenue in Scranton, on charges related to the distribution of controlled substances to an inmate.

The District Attorney's office was aided by the Luzerne County Drug Task Force, the Pennsylvania State Police Vice, Narcotics and Aviation units and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Safe Streets Task Force, with cooperation from officials at the county jail.

According to a release issued Monday:

The arrest was preceded by an investigation of Maloney that spanned several months. This investigation showed that Maloney had been bringing controlled substances into the prison.

On Friday, Maloney had conspired with an inmate to act as a courier between an inmate and outside sources to obtain and deliver controlled substances into the correctional facility.

During his shift, Maloney left work and traveled to an undisclosed location, where an undercover agent provided him with the substances and $5,000 as payment for Maloney smuggling the drugs into the prison.

Maloney traveled to the county courthouse parking garage to verify payment, and then went to a local bank to deposit $4,500 of the serialized currency.

After that, Maloney returned to the prison and entered with the package containing the controlled substances. He was taken into custody prior to the scheduled delivery of the substances to the inmate.

Investigators recovered the controlled substances, and a search of Maloney's vehicle recovered the additional $500 that hadn't been deposited into the bank.

Maloney was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Thomas F. Malloy on Friday afternoon, and charged with three counts of possession of a controlled substance, contraband/inmate, and a count of possession with intent to deliver — all felony charges.

He was released on $75,000 in bail, first set as monetary bail and then changed to unsecured, according to the court records. The reason for the change is listed as Maloney's "stable home, family, employment."

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 7, also in front of Judge Malloy.