Ismail J. Ramsey, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California
A former California state correctional officer, Avelino Ramirez, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud in a federal court. Ramirez, who previously served as a K-9 sergeant at state correctional facilities, admitted to planting contraband and then pretending to discover it.
The 52-year-old from Vallejo, California, was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 31, 2024. His plea agreement reveals that between 2013 and September 2022, he worked as an Investigative Services Unit K-9 Officer with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation at San Quentin State Prison. In September 2022, he was promoted to K-9 sergeant and transferred to the California Medical Facility in Vacaville around November 2022.
From October 2021 to February 2024, Ramirez engaged in smuggling and planting contraband in common areas of both San Quentin State Prison and the California Medical Facility. He pretended to discover these items with the intention of enhancing his reputation as a successful K-9 officer to secure a promotion. The contraband included drugs like methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine; drug paraphernalia; tobacco; cell phones; and weapons. Sometimes he mixed narcotics with salt or sugar and combined marijuana with lawn trimmings.
Ramirez also inflated his salary by claiming overtime for searches where he falsely reported discovering contraband. Through this scheme, he fraudulently obtained approximately $8,200 in overtime pay.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani.
Currently released on bond, Ramirez is scheduled for sentencing on September 18, 2025, before U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine under the violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343. The sentence will be determined after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and relevant federal statutes.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin K. Kleinman is prosecuting the case with assistance from Amala James and Lance Libatique following an FBI investigation.
