A 36-year-old Johnstown man is looking at some serious time in federal lockup after admitting he ran a sophisticated smuggling ring right under the noses of guards at the Cambria County Prison. Blake Young officially threw in the towel this week, pleading guilty on Monday to federal racketeering charges.
It’s a fall from grace that highlights a major security breach within the correctional system.
Between July and December of 2023, Young wasn’t just serving time; he was running a business. Federal prosecutors laid out a scheme where Young basically treated the prison like a private storefront. He admitted to bribing both correctional officers and medical staff to slip contraband through the gates.
We aren’t just talking about a few extra cigarettes, either. The haul included cell phones, the synthetic drug K2, and Suboxone, all of which Young then flipped to other inmates for a hefty profit.
READ: Dark Web Rental Scam Hits a Dead End: Pittsburgh Man Faces Federal Prison
The investigation was a heavy-hitting team effort, involving the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force and Homeland Security alongside local Cambria County investigators. They managed to flip the script on Young, tracing the operation back to his cell. Now, the staff members he corrupted are left in the wake of a federal probe while Young waits for his final fate.
Judge Haines has circled June 5 on the calendar for Young’s sentencing.
While the law technically allows for a maximum of 20 years and a quarter-million-dollar fine, his actual time behind bars will depend on the math of federal sentencing guidelines—a mix of how bad the crimes were and how long his rap sheet is.
For now, the man who turned a jail into a black market is waiting to see just how much longer he’ll be calling a cell home.
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