William S. Thompson U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia
After a four-day trial, a federal jury in Charleston, West Virginia, found Chad Lester, a former correctional officer at the Southern Regional Jail, guilty of conspiracy to engage in witness tampering, witness tampering, and making false statements. The charges are related to an incident involving the death of an inmate identified as Q.B. on March 1, 2022.
The court heard evidence that Lester conspired with other officers to conceal the use of unlawful force against Q.B. Lester instructed officers to provide false statements and included misleading information in official reports. On October 5, 2023, he made false statements to the FBI regarding the circumstances surrounding Q.B.'s injuries and death.
"Mr. Lester was the ringleader of the effort to cover up this horrific beating and keep the truth from the light of justice. He obviously failed at that," stated United States Attorney Will Thompson.
Testimony revealed that on March 1, 2022, officers used unreasonable force on Q.B., who was restrained and posed no threat. The officers brought him to a room without surveillance cameras where further force was applied. Lester then instructed others to falsify reports and retaliated against those who provided truthful information.
Lester faces up to 45 years in prison with sentencing scheduled for April 16, 2025. He is one of six former officers indicted over this case; his co-defendants have already pleaded guilty.
Ashley Toney and Jacob Boothe admitted guilt on August 8, 2024, for failing to protect Q.B., while Mark Holdren confessed on November 13, 2024, to using unreasonable force resulting in Q.B.'s death. Johnathan Walters and Cory Snyder also pleaded guilty in November 2024 for their roles in violating civil rights through excessive force.
Before these indictments, Steven Nicholas Wimmer and Andrew Fleshman had separately pleaded guilty on November 2, 2023.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office's Charleston Resident Agency. The trial was presided over by United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin with prosecution led by Deputy Chief Christine M. Siscaretti and Trial Attorney Tenette Smith from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Further details can be accessed through PACER under Case No. 5:23-cr-188 or via a video available on YouTube.
