A prison governor has been convicted of misconduct in a public office for engaging in a relationship with a notorious drug gang leader known as “Jesse Pinkman” from the TV series Breaking Bad. Kerri Pegg, 42, now faces imprisonment after accepting a £12,000 Mercedes C-Class car, paid for with 34kg of amphetamines by Anthony Saunderson, who is currently serving a 35-year sentence for drug trafficking.
Saunderson, also referred to as “James Gandolfini” after the actor from The Sopranos, arranged temporary release with Pegg while she was a governor at HMP Kirkham in Lancashire. Pegg, who quickly rose through the ranks within the Prison Service, received the luxury car from Saunderson, replacing her previous vehicle, a Honda Jazz.
Pegg took over as governor of HMP Kirkham, a category D men’s open prison, in 2018, where Saunderson had been transferred in 2017. Prosecutors revealed that Pegg’s downfall stemmed from living beyond her means, accumulating debts, and facing county court judgments, making her susceptible to exploitation by Saunderson.
Despite Pegg’s claims that her connection to Saunderson was related to his work with an inmate program called BADD (Beating Alcohol and Drug Dependency), evidence showed that even members of Saunderson’s gang were unhappy with his spending excessive time with Pegg. Following a raid at Pegg’s residence in Orrell, detectives found Saunderson’s DNA on personal items, solidifying their relationship. Pegg was found guilty of two counts of misconduct in a public office and one count of possession of criminal property after a lengthy trial, and she now awaits sentencing
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