Home › Intelligence › Personnel Accountability › Pineiro, Aaron Thomas
Pineiro, Aaron Thomas
Status: active
Profile written May 31, 2026
Salary
$118,352
2025 · state payroll
This profile reflects positional accountability — this individual held the leadership roles shown during the dates shown, during which the listed deaths or lawsuits occurred. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding of personal culpability for any specific incident.
Tenure Summary
Aaron Thomas Pineiro began his career with the Georgia Department of Corrections as a correctional officer at Valdosta State Prison in 2007, later serving in behavioral health roles before moving into custody leadership. He held the rank of deputy warden at Georgia State Prison (2017–2018) and Valdosta State Prison (2019–2021), then was promoted to warden, leading Coastal State Prison from 2022 through 2023. In 2024, Pineiro became warden of Phillips State Prison, a post he continues to hold. GPS records attribute a total of 79 deaths to the facilities during his leadership tenures — 37 at Phillips State Prison, 30 at Coastal State Prison, and 12 at Valdosta State Prison. His warden-level postings also drew multiple federal lawsuits alleging unconstitutional conditions and deliberate indifference. Several deaths at facilities under his command were homicides documented by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.What happened on their watch
Deputy Warden, Georgia State Prison (2017–2018)
No deaths are recorded at Georgia State Prison during Pineiro’s approximately two-year term as deputy warden. The facility had been under federal court oversight prior to his arrival, but no inmate fatalities are attributed to his watch. The lawsuit Young v. Smith (filed October 2017) names Pineiro as a defendant and concerns conditions at the prison; the case was later terminated.Deputy Warden, Valdosta State Prison (2019–2021)
GPS records show 12 deaths at Valdosta State Prison while Pineiro served as deputy warden. Among them, three were homicides documented by the AJC: Bobby Lane Carpenter (stab wound to the chest, September 2020), Orvonta Casmir Tillman (multiple sharp‑force trauma to the thorax, June 2020), and Prince Blige (stab wound to the torso, February 2020). The remaining fatalities were categorized as medical or natural deaths; decedents included Stanley Ward (41), Ralph Bell Johnson (74), Norman Leon Davis (29), and others. Two federal lawsuits were filed during this period that name Pineiro as a defendant — Daker v. Ward (June 2020, terminated November 2021) and Mosley v. Caraviello (November 2019, terminated May 2021) — both asserting civil rights claims against staff. Although multiple correctional‑officer contraband and misconduct investigations would later be reported at Valdosta (Operation Skyhawk), no such events are documented in the record during Pineiro’s deputy tenure.Warden, Coastal State Prison (2022–2023)
During Pineiro’s two years as warden, 30 deaths were recorded at Coastal State Prison. The majority were categorized as medical, but one — Solomon Andres Ramirez, age 43 — was an apparent homicide in October 2023, according to the AJC. Three lawsuits naming Pineiro were filed during his Coastal command: Brewer v. Chambers (November 2022, terminated July 2024), Browner v. Brown (June 2023, pending), and Doe v. Georgia Department of Corrections (December 2023, pending). The intel record contains allegations of a “human rights crisis” and hazardous food‑safety conditions at the prison, though those reports derive from 2025 and 2026 inspections and media accounts, after Pineiro had moved on.Warden, Phillips State Prison (2024–present)
Since his January 2024 assignment to Phillips State Prison, GPS records have documented 37 deaths on Pineiro’s watch. Several were homicides: Jody Stokes (strangulation, January 2025); Corey Madison Cochran (cause unknown to family, but recorded as a category‑3 death, December 2024); Brandon Lashaun Mincey (stabbed by other inmates, October 2024); and David E. Fambro (complications of facial fractures, July 2024). AJC reporting ties additional allegations of violence at Phillips to gang‑related stabbings and an alleged officer arrangement in a fatal attack. Lawsuits filed since his arrival include Patrick v. Moore (October 2024, pending) and Mckenzie v. Oliver (April 2026, pending). Pineiro remained warden as of the most recent position entry in 2025.Litigation
- Mckenzie v. Oliver (4:26‑cv‑00108, N.D. Ga., filed April 28, 2026, pending) — civil rights; Pineiro named as defendant.
- Daker v. Oliver Filing Restriction Per 59 Order (1:25‑cv‑03191, N.D. Ga., filed June 2025, terminated March 2026) — named defendant; a filing‑restriction order was the subject.
- Patrick v. Moore (4:24‑cv‑00242, S.D. Ga., filed Oct. 24, 2024, pending) — Pineiro named as defendant.
- Doe v. Georgia Department of Corrections (1:23‑cv‑05578, N.D. Ga., filed Dec. 6, 2023, pending) — Pineiro named as defendant.
- Browner v. Brown (4:23‑cv‑00167, S.D. Ga., filed June 21, 2023, pending) — Pineiro named.
- Brewer v. Chambers (4:22‑cv‑00264, S.D. Ga., filed Nov. 9, 2022, terminated July 25, 2024) — Pineiro named.
- Daker v. Ward (7:20‑cv‑00113, M.D. Ga., filed June 11, 2020, terminated Nov. 3, 2021) — Pineiro named.
- Mosley v. Caraviello (6:19‑cv‑00100, S.D. Ga., filed Nov. 4, 2019, terminated May 6, 2021) — Pineiro named.
- Young v. Smith (6:17‑cv‑00131, S.D. Ga., filed Oct. 2, 2017, terminated March 16, 2021) — Pineiro named.
Sources
- Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — homicide tracking and investigation series, including deaths of Bobby Lane Carpenter, Orvonta Tillman, Prince Blige, Solomon Ramirez, David Fambro, and allegations regarding Phillips State Prison and Valdosta State Prison.
- WTOC — reports on Coastal State Prison conditions (2026), corroborated by GPS‑cited inmate and worker allegations.
- WALB — family allegations and fatal stabbing coverage at Valdosta State Prison.
- The Georgia Virtue — health inspection citations for Coastal State Prison (2026) and Georgia State Prison solitary‑confinement reports.
- Court records via CourtListener — dockets for the nine listed lawsuits.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| WARDEN 2 | PHILLIPS STATE PRISON | 2024-01-01 → present |
| Warden | PHILLIPS STATE PRISON | 2024-06-16 → present |
| WARDEN 2 | COASTAL STATE PRISON | 2023-01-01 → 2023-12-31 |
| WARDEN 1 | COASTAL STATE PRISON | 2022-01-01 → 2022-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | VALDOSTA STATE PRISON | 2019-01-01 → 2021-12-31 |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | GEORGIA STATE PRISON | 2017-01-01 → 2018-12-31 |
| BEHAVIORAL HLTH COUNSELOR SPV | GEORGIA STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 |
| BEH HEALTH/COUNSELOR (WL) | VALDOSTA STATE PRISON | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
| Correctional Officer | VALDOSTA STATE PRISON | 2007-01-01 → 2007-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4:26-cv-00108 | GAND | 2026-04-28 | pending |
| 1:25-cv-03191 | GAND | 2025-06-06 | terminated |
| 4:24-cv-00242 | GASD | 2024-10-24 | pending |
| 1:23-cv-05578 | GAND | 2023-12-06 | pending |
| 4:23-cv-00167 | GASD | 2023-06-21 | pending |
| 4:22-cv-00264 | GASD | 2022-11-09 | terminated |
| 7:20-cv-00113 | GAMD | 2020-06-11 | terminated |
| 6:19-cv-00100 | GASD | 2019-11-04 | terminated |
| 6:17-cv-00131 | GASD | 2017-10-02 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
79 people died at facilities under Pineiro, Aaron Thomas's leadership.
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