What are they gonna do? Throw them in jail?

Some people weren't going to let incarceration stop them from running a heroin ring, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office says.

Two former inmates at the South Bay House of Correction - now guests of MCI-Concord - were indicted today along with a former guard and two alleged accomplices on charges they smuggled heroin and marijuana into the jail for sale to other inmates.

Inmates Joseph Palermo, 49, and Timothy Keohane, 27, now up at MCI-Concord, allegedly orchestrated the purchase of the drugs in phone calls to Jeanne Signorino, 59, of Revere and Danielle Aluia, 23, also of Revere. They're charged with passing the drugs onto Kenneth Nobile, 40, of Revere, a corrections officer who worked in the jail maintenance department, who would then allegedly hand the drugs off to the two cons for re-sale:

Members of the Sheriff's Investigative Division detained Nobile as he reported for duty at South Bay on the morning of May 10. During a search, they recovered a cylindrical container wrapped in black electrical tape, inside of which were marijuana and seven rocks of compressed heroin. Also recovered were a number of multicolored balloons that investigators believe would later be used to package the drugs.

DA Dan Conley's statement:

GRAND JURY RETURNS 20 INDICTMENTS IN JAIL-BASED DRUG SMUGGLING OPERATION

DA: "NET HAS WIDENED" IN HEROIN, MARIJUANA PROBE

BOSTON, Dec. 18, 2007-Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley today announced indictments charging a total of 20 drug-related offenses by inmates at the South Bay House of Correction, alleged accomplices outside, and a former jail employee who is said to have acted as the point of transfer between them.

"The indictments follow a far-ranging investigation by Suffolk prosecutors and Sheriff's Investigative Division personnel," Conley said. "They are the result of painstaking interagency efforts."

Indicted today were:

1. TIMOTHY KEOHANE, 27 (D.O.B. 2/2/80), now an inmate at MCI-Concord, on charges of conspiracy to distribute heroin, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to deliver heroin to prisoners at a correctional institution, and conspiracy to deliver marijuana to prisoners at a correctional institution;

2. JOSEPH PALERMO, 49 (D.O.B. 8/18/58), now an inmate at MCI-Concord on charges of conspiracy to distribute heroin, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to deliver heroin to prisoners at a correctional institution, and conspiracy to deliver marijuana to prisoners at a correctional institution;

3. JEANNE SIGNORINO, 59 (D.O.B. 6/18/48), of Revere, on charges of distribution of a class A substance (heroin), distribution of a class D substance (marijuana), conspiracy to deliver heroin to prisoners at a correctional institution, and conspiracy to distribute marijuana to prisoners at a correctional institution;

4. DANIELLE ALUIA, 23 (D.O.B. 3/30/84), of Revere, on charges of distribution of a class A substance (heroin), distribution of a class D substance (marijuana), conspiracy to deliver heroin to prisoners at a correctional institution, and conspiracy to deliver marijuana to prisoners at a correctional institution; and

5. KENNETH NOBILE, 40 (D.O.B. 11/19/67), of Revere, on charges of possession of a class A substance (heroin) with intent to distribute, possession of a class D substance (marijuana) with intent to distribute, delivering heroin to prisoners at a correctional institution, and delivering marijuana to prisoners at a correctional institution.

The indictments reflect an investigation that began in 2005, when members of the

Suffolk County Sheriff's Investigative Division launched a probe into the distribution of contraband at the South Bay House of Correction. Nobile, then a corrections officer who worked in the maintenance department at South Bay, was arrested in the wake of that probe, as were Signorino and Aluia, who were associates of then-inmates Palermo and Keohane.

Evidence suggests that Palermo and Keohane made a series of calls to Signorino and Aluia between May 8 and May 9 of this year in which they orchestrated the purchase of heroin and marijuana by the two women and their distribution of the drugs to Nobile. Prosecutors believe that Aluia would obtain the drugs and provide them to Signorino; Signorino would then allegedly provide them to Nobile. Nobile, prosecutors allege, would then bring the drugs into the facility and provide them to Palermo and Keohane, who would in turn distribute them to inmates.

Members of the Sheriff's Investigative Division detained Nobile as he reported for duty at South Bay on the morning of May 10. During a search, they recovered a cylindrical container wrapped in black electrical tape, inside of which were marijuana and seven rocks of compressed heroin. Also recovered were a number of multicolored balloons that investigators believe would later be used to package the drugs.

Sheriff's personnel and State Police took Nobile into custody and Suffolk prosecutors arraigned him in the Boston Municipal Court later that day.

State Police, with the assistance of Sheriff's investigators and Revere Police, took Signorino and Aluia into custody on May 11 and Keohane, already in custody, was arraigned on May 23; Palermo's charges were developed in the grand jury.

"When we brought this case to court seven months ago, we had one defendant and two criminal counts," Conley said. "Now the net has widened and five individuals face a total of 20 indicted charges. We will prosecute each case aggressively and we will do so in cooperation and partnership with Sheriff's investigators."

"This case is an excellent example of a thorough internal investigation, which is ongoing, enhanced by partnership with the Massachusetts State Police and the District Attorney's Office," said Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea J. Cabral. "We take our responsibility to investigate all misconduct very seriously."

Aluia is represented by attorney Emily Karstetter, Signorino by Peter Brady, and Nobile by Eliot Weinstein. Superior Court arraignments are being scheduled for each of the defendants.

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