Two Thomson Penitentiary Inmates Sentenced to Additional Prison Terms for Assaulting Other Inmates

ROCKFORD — Two inmates at the United States Penitentiary in Thomson, Ill., have been sentenced to additional prison terms for assaulting other inmates.

GEORGE RICHARD GAUNT, 34, was sentenced to 14 years in prison, to be served consecutively to the federal sentence he is currently serving for robbing multiple banks.  

KELLY BRYAN SCHNEIDER, 29, was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison, to be served consecutively to the sentences he is currently serving for murder and hate crime in the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and the State of Idaho. 

Gaunt and Schneider each pleaded guilty to federal assault charges.  U.S. District Judge Philip G. Reinhard imposed the additional sentences this week after hearings in federal court in Rockford.

The sentences were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Ashley T. Johnson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Vincenza L. Tomlinson.

Gaunt and Schneider admitted in plea agreements that on Aug. 9, 2019, they punched, kicked, and stomped on an inmate’s body and head multiple times, causing serious injuries and loss of consciousness.  The pair continued to strike the inmate while he was defenseless and in a protective posture.  Schneider admitted that he attempted to bite off the inmate’s ear and continued to strike the inmate until correctional staff intervened. 

Gaunt and Schneider assaulted another inmate on Aug. 23, 2019.  In that attack, the pair punched, kicked, and stomped on the inmate’s body and head multiple times, causing serious injuries and loss of consciousness.  Gaunt and Schneider continued to strike the inmate while he was defenseless.

Gaunt and Schneider admitted in their plea agreements that neither of the victims provoked the attacks in any way.