Home › Intelligence › Personnel Accountability › Stewart, Veronica M
Stewart, Veronica M
Status: active
Profile written May 31, 2026
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
Veronica M. Stewart’s career with the Georgia Department of Corrections spans nearly two decades, beginning as a correctional officer at Telfair State Prison in 2007. She rose through the ranks — sergeant, lieutenant, unit manager — before serving as deputy warden at Telfair from 2021 through 2023, and then was appointed warden of Washington State Prison in January 2024, a post she held into 2026. During her leadership tenures, GPS records attribute a total of 39 deaths to the facilities she oversaw: 16 at Telfair and 23 at Washington. Her time at Washington included the state’s deadliest prison riot in years, a wave of homicides, and multiple lawsuits naming her as a defendant.What happened on their watch
Telfair State Prison — Deputy Warden (2021–2023)
Per GPS records, 16 people died at Telfair while Stewart served as deputy warden. The list includes multiple homicides: on May 7, 2021, Juan Carlos Arguello-Revelles, 37, died of a stab wound, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation of Georgia prison homicides. On April 18, 2023, De’ahmoz Oshmic Floyd, 29, bled to death from a stab wound to the neck; the AJC reported a claim filed against the state alleging Floyd was stabbed in a dorm with no staff present. Later that year, on December 22, Kwesi Jamal Stultz, 24, died of multiple head injuries, also cited by the AJC investigation. A lethal environmental death occurred on July 20, 2023: Juan Carlos Ramirez Bibiano, 27, was left in an outdoor recreation cage for five hours in a 105-degree heat index, arriving at the hospital with a 107°F internal body temperature. GDC listed his death as “natural causes.” On August 17, 2021, William Hiram Lumpkin, 74, died of natural causes, but a friend alleged medical neglect, reporting that a doctor refused to see him the morning of his death. GPS records also note a broader context: a 2026 AJC report described Telfair at one point as missing 76% of its essential workforce, leaving only 36 correctional officers to supervise 1,400 prisoners.Washington State Prison — Warden (2024–present)
Stewart became warden of Washington State Prison in January 2024. GPS records attribute 23 deaths to the facility from the start of her tenure through February 2026. The deaths include several homicides before and during a massive riot. On April 23, 2024, Jacob Cole Henson, 31, died of multiple gunshot wounds; the AJC reported that a GDC officer fatally shot Henson during a fight while transporting him for medical treatment. On August 9, 2024, Devonte Tiger Williams, 26, died of multiple sharp-force injuries to his torso, head, and neck, according to the AJC. In 2025, homicides claimed Michael Lareco Daniel, 44 (June 20) and Dontavious Carter (January 7, puncture wound to the heart).The deadliest incident unfolded on January 11, 2026, when a gang-affiliated disturbance erupted. According to news reports by 13WMAZ, WGXA, and 41NBC, the riot killed Teddy Dewayne Jackson (27), Ahmod Dewayne Hatcher (23), and Jimmy Lee Trammell (42). A fourth man, Silas Rodrigo Westbrook (42), died later from injuries after transfer; GPS records indicate his death resulted from a lack of proper medical care. Twelve inmates were subsequently charged with murder and gang-related offenses. In the aftermath, two men were found dead in a restrictive-housing cell on February 17, 2026, in what records describe as an apparent killing of each other, and a suicide by hanging occurred the same day.
Throughout Stewart’s tenure, broader systemic findings overlapped. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a U.S. Department of Justice investigation found Georgia prison officials were “deliberately indifferent” to unchecked violence, and that gangs ran sophisticated contraband operations. WGXA detailed a federal indictment of inmate Luis Alfonso Ramirez, who allegedly directed a drug trafficking network from Washington State Prison using contraband cellphones. Former inmates told 13WMAZ the prison suffered from chronic understaffing, gang dominance, and absent programs, describing a facility where people carry weapons daily without staff intervention.
Litigation
- Clayton v. Stewart (3:25-cv-00009, GASD), filed Feb. 10, 2025 — pending.
- Branner v. Stewart (7:24-cv-00075, GAMD), filed Jul. 31, 2024 — pending.
- Kemp v. Mcfarlen (5:25-cv-00059, GAMD), filed Feb. 18, 2025, terminated May 30, 2025.
- Bibiano v. Garrett (3:25-cv-00013, GASD), filed Feb. 13, 2025 — pending.
- Willis v. Government Employees Insurance Company (5:23-cv-00430, GAMD), filed Oct. 26, 2023, terminated Jan. 23, 2026.
- Jackson v. White (3:22-cv-00114, GASD), filed Sep. 13, 2022, terminated Apr. 1, 2024.
- Arnold v. Kinsey (3:22-cv-00069, GASD), filed Jun. 27, 2022, terminated Mar. 10, 2025.
- Ross v. White (3:22-cv-00066, GASD), filed Jun. 22, 2022, terminated Oct. 12, 2022.
- Benvenutti v. Geico General Insurance Company (5:22-cv-00182, GAMD), filed May 11, 2022, terminated May 30, 2024.
- Lonon v. White (3:22-cv-00037, GASD), filed May 2, 2022, terminated Nov. 21, 2022.
- In Re Paragard Iud Products Liability Litigation (1:20-md-02974, GAND), filed Dec. 16, 2020 — pending.
Sources
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia prison homicides investigation, reporting on Washington State Prison riot, officer shooting, conditions, DOJ findings, and Telfair homicide cases.
- 13WMAZ — coverage of Washington State Prison riot and former inmate allegations of understaffing, gang violence, and neglect.
- WGXA — reporting on federal indictment of inmate drug ring from Washington State Prison and details of the January 2026 disturbance.
- 41NBC — updates on the Washington riot and DOJ description of deliberate indifference.
- Solitary Watch — allegations of prisoner mistreatment at Telfair State Prison (historical).
- GPS records — death details, cause categories, facility death tallies, and internal notes on individual decedents.
- Court dockets — Clayton v. Stewart, Branner v. Stewart, and other listed cases via CourtListener.
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| WARDEN 1 | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | 2024-01-01 → present |
| Warden | WASHINGTON STATE PRISON | 2024-06-16 → present |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2021-01-01 → 2023-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2019-01-01 → 2020-12-31 |
| CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | CALHOUN STATE PRISON | 2018-01-01 → 2018-12-31 |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2016-01-01 → 2017-12-31 |
| CORRECTIONS OFFICER (SP) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 | |
| Lieutenant | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2014-01-01 → 2014-12-31 |
| Sergeant | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2012-01-01 → 2012-12-31 |
| Correctional Officer | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2007-01-01 → 2007-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5:25-cv-00059 | GAMD | 2025-02-18 | terminated |
| 3:25-cv-00013 | GASD | 2025-02-13 | pending |
| 3:25-cv-00009 | GASD | 2025-02-10 | pending |
| 7:24-cv-00075 | GAMD | 2024-07-31 | pending |
| 5:23-cv-00430 | GAMD | 2023-10-26 | terminated |
| 3:22-cv-00114 | GASD | 2022-09-13 | terminated |
| 3:22-cv-00069 | GASD | 2022-06-27 | terminated |
| 3:22-cv-00066 | GASD | 2022-06-22 | terminated |
| 5:22-cv-00182 | GAMD | 2022-05-11 | terminated |
| 3:22-cv-00037 | GASD | 2022-05-02 | terminated |
| 1:20-md-02974 | GAND | 2020-12-16 | pending |
Deaths attributed during tenure
39 people died at facilities under Stewart, Veronica M'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.