Home › Intelligence › Personnel Accountability › Sampson, Gregory L
Sampson, Gregory L
Status: active
Profile written May 31, 2026
Salary
$100,951
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
Gregory L. Sampson climbed the ranks of the Georgia Department of Corrections over two decades, starting as a correctional officer at Rutledge State Prison in 2006 and reaching the warden level by 2022. GPS records attribute a total of 52 deaths to facilities during his time in facility‑leadership roles: 6 at Central State Prison, 21 at Dooly State Prison, 23 at Macon State Prison, and 2 at the Metro Reentry Facility. Sampson is a defendant in two pending federal civil‑rights lawsuits, and his tenures at Dooly and Macon were marked by a surge in homicides, suicides, and widespread allegations of dangerous understaffing and rampant violence.What happened on their watch
Central State Prison (2021)
While Sampson served as Correctional Superintendent in 2021, GPS records show six deaths at Central. Among them, the Atlanta Journal‑Constitution’s homicide investigation identified Joshua Carl Lester, who died from a stab wound to the chest on July 28, 2021. According to the AJC, the DOJ had also documented a stabbing death of Hollis Alan Bryant at Central and charged three prisoners, though Bryant does not appear in the capped decedent list provided to GPS. At the time, Georgia Public Broadcasting reported that statewide prison conditions were “horrific,” with severe staff shortages allowing gangs to effectively control some facilities. The five other deaths recorded that year were classified as medical (cause category 6), with no further details available.Dooly State Prison (2023–2024)
As Warden 1 at Dooly in 2023 and 2024, Sampson oversaw a facility where GPS records attribute 21 deaths. Three were homicides, according to the AJC investigation: Dimitri Merci Jackson died from a stab wound to the chest on Jan. 3, 2023; Chad Taylor Roadifer succumbed to delayed complications of blunt‑force head trauma in October 2023; and Brian Lee Wainwright was killed in January 2024. In September 2024, Zeary Davante Davis was stabbed and, per a GPS report, bled to death on the dormitory floor while other prisoners looked on. The AJC also reported that a coroner alleged Carlos Omar Soldiew‑Acosta, who died in June 2024, may have been dead for more than 24 hours before his body was found. Separately, the AJC detailed a lawsuit alleging that James Yarbrough died of diabetic ketoacidosis at Dooly because of medical neglect, though Yarbrough is not listed in the GPS sample of decedents. News reports during this period highlighted contraband smuggling by staff and rampant fraud schemes run from inside the prison, although many of the resulting arrests occurred after Sampson left Dooly.Macon State Prison (February 2025 – January 2026)
Sampson became Warden at Macon in February 2025. GPS records show 23 deaths in roughly 11 months. Multiple homicides: Marquel Smith in February, D’Andrius Brown in March (killed “in the hole,” per GPS notes), Sanchez Jackson in June (his family confirmed to 13WMAZ and WGXA that he was stabbed to death), Lukas Lance Way and Xavier Anthony Adams also died by homicide in the hole, and Marquis Young in October. Two suicides occurred in August: Calvin Earl Noble, 25, died by hanging in a one‑man cell, and Cassiem Mahlon Johnson died by suicide the day before, according to GPS case reports. The AJC reported that Macon was critically understaffed — the county coroner said only five to eight officers were staffing the entire facility when deaths occurred — and about two‑thirds of correctional‑officer jobs were unfilled as of late 2024, a condition that persisted under Sampson. The same reporting described how locked cells often failed, allowing prisoners to make shanks from walls and ceilings, and how gangs exerted control. Sanchez Jackson’s family told the AJC that the warden gave only a brief phone call about his death and that the investigator provided “short and vague” answers. A GPS intel report notes that inmate Devito Duran Young later pleaded guilty to running a fentanyl‑trafficking operation from Macon using contraband cellphones.Metro Reentry Facility (January 2026 – present)
Sampson returned to the Metro Reentry Facility as Warden on Jan. 16, 2026. GPS records document two deaths since then: Donald Woods, 65, on Jan. 31, 2026, and Samuel Dennis Hunt, 64, on Mar. 1, 2026. Both are categorized as medical (cause category 6), and no additional details or allegations of foul play were recorded.Litigation
* Banks v. Sampson, No. 1:25‑cv‑02981 (N.D. Ga., filed May 30, 2025, pending). The nature of the claims is not specified in GPS records. * Mcneal v. Sampson, No. 5:26‑cv‑00039 (M.D. Ga., filed Jan. 27, 2026, pending). This suit was filed shortly after Sampson’s tenure at Macon. * Fox v. Weeks Marine Inc., No. 4:22‑cv‑00054 (S.D. Ga., filed Mar. 7, 2022, terminated Oct. 3, 2022). This case, which does not appear related to Sampson’s corrections roles, closed without a recorded payout.Sources
* Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — multiple homicide investigations and reports on understaffing, violence, and family accounts at Central, Dooly, and Macon State Prisons * Georgia Public Broadcasting — reports on statewide prison conditions and gang influence, including references to Central * 13WMAZ — confirmation of Sanchez Jackson homicide, drug‑trafficking pleas by Macon prisoners, and altercations at Dooly * WGXA — reporting on Sanchez Jackson homicide and arrest of a cadet smuggling methamphetamine into Dooly * WALB, Wesh.com, News‑journalonline.com — reports on fraud schemes operated from Dooly State Prison * Solitary Watch — historical report on harsh conditions at Macon * GPS Case Management — death reports and incident accounts for multiple decedents at Macon and Dooly * Court records via CourtListener — dockets for Banks v. Sampson, Mcneal v. Sampson, and Fox v. Weeks Marine Inc. * DOJ findings — cited in AJC reporting regarding homicides and assaults at Central and MaconPositions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Warden | METRO REENTRY FACILITY | 2026-01-16 → present |
| Warden | MACON STATE PRISON | 2025-02-01 → present |
| WARDEN 3 | METRO REENTRY FACILITY | 2025-01-01 → present |
| WARDEN 1 | DOOLY STATE PRISON | 2023-01-01 → 2024-12-31 |
| WARDEN 1 | 2022-01-01 → 2022-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT | CENTRAL STATE PRISON | 2021-01-01 → 2021-12-31 |
| CORRECTIONAL SUPERINTENDENT | 2020-01-01 → 2020-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL ASST. SUPT | 2017-01-01 → 2019-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 | |
| CORRECTION OPERATIONS | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 | |
| Sergeant | CLAYTON TRANSITIONAL CENTER | 2014-01-01 → 2014-12-31 |
| Sergeant | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | 2013-01-01 → 2013-12-31 |
| Correctional Officer | RUTLEDGE STATE PRISON | 2006-01-01 → 2006-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5:26-cv-00039 | GAMD | 2026-01-27 | pending |
| 1:25-cv-02981 | GAND | 2025-05-30 | pending |
| 4:22-cv-00054 | GASD | 2022-03-07 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
52 people died at facilities under Sampson, Gregory L's leadership.
Submit a correction
If you are the named individual or an authorized representative and dispute information on this page, submit details below. Substantiated corrections are applied promptly. Disputes that remain unresolved are flagged on the profile.