PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania — A former inmate at Cambria County Prison who is already serving a life sentence has been given additional prison time for racketeering inside the prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania announced. U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan sentenced Marcos Monarrez Jr., 27, on October 21, 2026, to an additional 33 months in prison, to be served consecutively to his life sentence, followed by three years of supervised release.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Western District of Pennsylvania

Monarrez is serving life after a conviction for violating the federal kingpin drug-trafficking statute — operating a continuing criminal enterprise — as well as money laundering, in connection with a transnational drug trafficking organization, according to the Justice Department. He was among 10 people charged in an indictment unsealed in July 2025 alleging racketeering activity at Cambria County Prison.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Western District of Pennsylvania

According to information presented to the court, from around July 2023 to around December 2023, while incarcerated at the prison, Monarrez conducted and participated in the affairs of an enterprise through racketeering activity. Specifically, prosecutors say, he bribed correctional officers and medical staff to smuggle contraband into the prison, namely cell phones and K2, which were then sold to other inmates for a substantial profit. He also directed multiple people to send and receive money for the contraband on his behalf, the department said.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Western District of Pennsylvania

To date, eight of the defendants in the case have pleaded guilty, with four now having been sentenced, the Justice Department said. U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti announced the sentence.

Source: FOX8 / WFXP