THOMSON, Ill. — Editor's note: The video above is from Oct. 19.
A convicted bank robber and murderer are facing additional sentences for assaulting fellow inmates at United States Penitentiary Thomson back in 2019, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois announced Friday.
George Richard Gaunt, 34, and Kelly Bryan Schneider, 29, were sentenced to 14 and 12.5 years, respectively, for assaulting two inmates in August 2019. They admitted to attacking both inmates without provocation.
Gaunt is currently serving a sentence for robbing multiple banks while Schneider is serving a sentence for murder and hate crimes out of Idaho. They both pleaded guilty to federal assault charges.
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In plea agreements, the pair admitted to punching, kicking and stomping on another inmate's body and head several times on Aug. 9, 2019. This attack caused "serious injuries and loss of consciousness" to the victim, according to U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch, Jr.
Gaunt and Schneider continued to hit the inmate while he was "defenseless and in a protective posture." The attorney's office says Schneider admitted to biting the inmate's ear and kept hitting him until correctional staff intervened.
The other attack happened on Aug. 23, 2019. Gaunt and Schneider, again, punched, kicked and stomped on the inmate's body and head multiple times, causing serious injuries and a loss of consciousness. The pair continued to hit the inmate while he was defenseless, according to the attorney's office.
This comes months after the U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation into the prison following the release of a "disturbing" report from NPR and the Marshall Project back in May. The report details the deaths of several inmates and alleged abuse by prison staff.
There have also been calls to remove Warden Thomas Bergami from the union representing the prison. AFGE Local 4070 claimed Bergami has failed in his position to keep staff, inmates and communities safe. Bergami has served in this position since March.
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin visited the prison in July following these allegations against Bergami. Durbin refused to comment on the union's allegations but did say he didn't see any evidence of inmate abuse during his visit.
Watch more coverage on USP Thomson on News 8's YouTube channel