The family of a Hawaii inmate who died in an Arizona prison alleges in a lawsuit that he died after packets of drugs he was smuggling for a prison gang burst in his stomach. Family sues state
for death of inmateIulai Amani, a prisoner in
Arizona, allegedly died while
smuggling drugs for a jail gangBy Sally Apgar
sapgar@starbulletin.comAccording to the suit filed yesterday in Circuit Court, Iulai Amani, then 24, died of a heart attack on April 15, 2001, at the Florence Correctional Center in Florence, Ariz.
The lawsuit attributes the heart attack to "a drug overdose, the mechanism of which was inconsistent with recreational use but consistent with drug smuggling under the direction" of a Hawaii gang that controlled the prison.
The suit alleges "wrongful conduct" in Amani's death on the part of the state of Hawaii and other, unnamed defendants whom the suit alleges had a duty to protect Amani.
James Propotnick, acting director of the state Department of Public Safety, said yesterday, "I am aware of the death and the lawsuit but don't know any of the particulars, so I can't really comment."
He added: "I am aware that changes were made at the prison. Groups of people were separated and split up, and the prison got a new warden."
Amani did not have a history of drug use, said attorney James Kawashima, who represents Amani's family.
"He was being used by the gang as a mule to smuggle drugs," Kawashima said.
He said Amani's family believes Amani was forced by members of the United Samoan Organization to swallow crystal methamphetamine, or "ice," that was wrapped in a balloon. Kawashima said Amani was Samoan, but his family does not believe he was a member of the gang.
A team of auditors sent by the state to the prison in April 2001 was cryptic about Amani's death, saying only, "Inmates are indicating FCC is covering up chain of events leading up to Iulai Amani's death."
The audit also said: "A death occurred recently of one of the USO members. It appears this was due to an attempt to promote or traffic prison contraband (drugs) that went sour (when) the bags busted in the stomach of the inmate."
Kawashima said he has not been able to obtain basic information including the autopsy report, and hopes filing the suit will compel the prison and its owners to provide reports and other information.
The Hawaii audit team was sent to Florence after six inmates were assaulted and two inmates, including Amani, died in one month. The other inmate, John Kia, died of a heart attack attributed to natural causes.
As a result of overcrowding in its prisons, the state contracted with private mainland prisons to take inmates.
Hawaii contracted with the Florence facility, which is managed by Corrections Corp. of America, a publicly traded prison company based in Nashville, Tenn.
The Florence prison is a medium-security facility with about 1,600 beds which houses both men and women. As a private prison, it is not subject to regulations governing other Arizona prisons. It also takes some of the toughest and most violent Hawaii prisoners.
Amani was convicted of manslaughter in 1998 and moved to the Florence prison in 2000.
The Florence facility had about 559 Hawaii inmates at the time of Amani's death. The Hawaii audit team determined that about 100 Hawaii inmates were members of the "USO family."
The auditors said the USO ran the prison, controlling drug traffic and use, work details, the making of "swipe" -- a prison-made alcoholic beverage -- sex with female inmates detained on immigration violations and beatings of both guards and inmates.
After the audit, Ted Sakai, then the director of public safety, wrote to CCA to take corrective action.
Last week, another inmate, Victoriano Ortiz, sued the state and CCA alleging failure to protect him from being beaten up by USO members in a prison yard fight involving 23 inmates.