A former Pitchess Detention Center deputy from Lancaster who pleaded guilty in July to his role in smuggling narcotics into the massive Castaic jail has once again asked the court for more time.
Michael Meiser, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute, according to a July news release from the Department of Justice. At the time of Meiser’s plea, the federal government noted his charge called for a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison.
It’s unclear if that status has changed based on a series of continuances.
The sentencing was originally set for December.
In November, Meiser’s attorney, Ryan Kerns, filed a motion asking for more time because “counsel for Mr. Meiser and the government have been engaged in discussions relevant to any proposed sentencing recommendations,” according to the motion. “Defense counsel is asking for additional time in furtherance of these ongoing discussions.”
The same motion was filed again last month, which Judge Fernando M. Olguin granted again, to continue Meiser’s sentencing hearing until 3 p.m. June 25. The federal government did not object to either continuance.
No presentencing report has been released for Meiser’s crime, which would look at any potentially aggravating factors for his sentence, such as how he was working as a law enforcement officer at the time of his arrest, the nature of his crimes and whether he had any other allegations.
An L.A. County District Attorney’s Office report in February 2025 alleged Meiser was the head of a “sophisticated drug-smuggling operation” run out of the Pitchess Detention Center. The most recent department estimates indicate Pitchess has more than 4,500 individuals in custody.
The Sheriff’s Department has dealt with a number of subsequent cases involving the smuggling of narcotics, including fentanyl and heroin, into local jails.
In April 2024, Meiser conspired with inmates to smuggle drugs into the jail — part of the Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center complex — in exchange for cash and payments via the Cash App digital wallet that inmates sent to one of Meiser’s relatives, according to the plea agreement.
His plea agreement offered a detailed look at how Meiser smuggled the drugs into the jail, which federal officials put in their statement Thursday from the court record.
In one instance in April 2024, one of Meiser’s relatives received $1,500 via Cash App payment for Meiser. The following week, he drove his car to a Valencia gas station, popped open his trunk and met up with two individuals who gave him two Pringles cans loaded with approximately 511 grams (1.1 pounds) of heroin and two white envelopes with $15,000 in cash for Meiser.
