Two men charged with smuggling drugs into Carbon County Prison through letters entered guilty pleas and were sentenced to state prison terms.

Dominick Gonzalez, 57, and Jason Rockie Bracero, 33, both of Jim Thorpe, entered pleas before President Judge Roger N. Nanovic II. Gonzalez, with two counts of criminal conspiracy - contraband and one count of criminal use of a communication facility. Bracero pleaded to one count of criminal conspiracy - contraband.

They were charged for their part in sending drug-laced letters to the prison. Candice Bracero, 34, faced two charges each of contraband, conspiracy regarding contraband/controlled substance and one charge of criminal use of a communication facility. In May she pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal conspiracy - contraband and was sentenced by Nanovic to serve 16 to 36 months in state prison. The prison term was for both counts running concurrently.

Handwritten letters

According to the affidavit of probable cause filed by detectives with the district attorney’s office:

On July 30, 2021, correctional facility staff members discovered two suspicious letters in that day’s incoming mail that they believed had been soaked with illegal substances, both bearing the return address of “Roach Law LLC,” and were hand-addressed to brother and sister inmates Candice and Jason Bracero.

The envelopes contained handwritten letters and were postmarked at Nesquehoning on July 28.

Staff reported two similar mailings were received and delivered unopened to Candice and Jason on July 16. Both letters were sloppily handwritten and refer to a $300,000 inheritance, and the papers appeared to have been wet and then dried. The letter to Candice says the inheritance is from a great-aunt.

A Nesquehoning Post Office clerk recalled the mailings on July 28, as well as similar mailings before that. The clerk said a Hispanic male with salt and pepper hair, had mailed them. Nearby surveillance video recorded a Hispanic male driving a gray Sedan entered the post office on July 28.

Both letters were later submitted to the state police - Wyoming Crime Lab for analysis, and both were found to be impregnated with methamphetamine.

On Aug. 4, CCCF staff intercepted an outgoing letter from Jason addressed to Gonzalez, of the 200 block of Center Street, Jim Thorpe, an address used by both Jason and Candice. The letter provided instructions to send various items through the mail.

On Aug. 11, detectives observed a gray Chevrolet sedan parked in front of that address registered to Gonzalez. From a photo lineup, the postal clerk indicated Gonzalez’s photo was one of two possibly being the person who mailed the letters.

On Aug. 25, the postal clerk contacted detectives and said that the same person had just sent another letter to the CCCF. Detectives spoke with the postal clerk and postmaster, who provided a photocopy of the envelope addressed to Candice, with a return address of “Nick Gonzalez,” Center Street, Jim Thorpe. The letter had been processed and placed in the outgoing delivery to the CCCF. Prison staff removed the letter from the day’s incoming mail.

This letter was submitted to the Wyoming Crime Lab for analysis, and was found to be impregnated with heroin, fentanyl and tramadol.

Drug sales

Detectives also reviewed recorded prison calls made by Jason and Candice to Gonzalez beginning on July 16.

In a call between Jason and Gonzalez on July 16, Jason asked, “Do I have a great-aunt?” and exclaimed “uppity up” which is believed to be a slang term for stimulant drugs.

In a subsequent call, Jason described cutting an 8-by-10-inch piece of paper into 80 squares, and selling each square for $20 each. In this call, Jason went on to say “At $20 per serving, do the math, $1,600, yeah, that’s what the (expletive) are paying for that … I got them right where I want them.”

In calls between Candice and Gonzalez, they spoke extensively about Gonzalez obtaining items from a third party, which he was then to write on after they dried, and mail to both Candice and Jason.

Nanovic asked Gonzalez about Bracero selling slips of paper at the jail for $20 apiece and bragging about the profit he was making. Gonzalez denied any knowledge of Bracero selling the drugs.

However, when Bracero entered his plea he was asked by Nanovic if Gonzalez knew he was selling the slips at the prison and he said that Gonzalez did know it.

On the conspiracy counts Nanovic sentenced Gonzalez to serve two to four years in a state correctional institution followed by two years of probation. On the communication charge was sentenced to serve 18 months to three and a half years, consecutive to the first counts for a total of three and a half to seven and a half years. He was given credit for 44 days already served.

He was also ordered to supply a DNA sample, get a drug and alcohol evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment and pay court costs of over $1,000.

Gonzalez is free on $100,000 bail posted by a bonding company. He will begin the jail term at 11 a.m. on Jan. 2. Nanovic said all bail conditions will remain the same until he starts the prison term.

Bracero is currently an inmate in the state prison at Camp Hill, Cumberland County, where he finished serving the minimum of a 18 to 60 months term. Nanovic sentenced him to serve two to five years in a state prison on the new charge, running concurrent with his prior sentence. He was also ordered to supply a DNA sample, get a drug and alcohol evaluation and pay court costs of over $1,000.