Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Jonathan Logan, convicted felon and CEO/founder of prison tech company Smart Communications, got rich by price-gouging poor people. Why? A Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, a $10 million yacht called "Convict," and a $1 million boat named after a dead woman he was convicted of harassing. A family legal battle for succession of the company revealed the strange world of how prison telecoms operate: with kickbacks to public officials, and extortionate fees.
Patreon: patreon.com/GeorgRockallSchmidt
Leave a tip: paypal.me/GeorgRockallSchmidt
Twitter: twitter.com/grockallschmidt
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Sources
The Succession Battle For A Prison Empire
levernews.com/the-succession-battle-for-a-prison-empire
AT&T Monopoly & Breakup of the Bell System
historyfactory.com/insights/this-month-in-business-history-bell-system
History of Federal Inmate Access To Telephones
oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/special/9908/callsp2.htm
United States v. AT&T
justice.gov/jmd/media/1237211/dl
Competition and Collusion in U.S. Prison Telephone Industry
prisonlegalnews.org/news/2007/jan/15/ex-communication-competition-and-collusion-in-the-us-prison-telephone-industry
1990-2005, the U.S. Built A Prison Every 10 Days
interrogatingjustice.org/ending-mass-incarceration/prison-every-10-days
Behind Bars: Prison Phone Reform
https://journals.law.harvard.edu/lpr/wp-content/uploads/sites/89/2020/03/Fuchs.pdf
Engelke v Logan et al
flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/2438679/opinion/Opinion_2022-4063.pdf
Sheriffs Offered Caribbean Cruises and Florida Retreats as Part of Jail Telecom Contracts
theappeal.org/smart-communications-cruises-trips-florida
Pa. prisons spend $15M after guards sickened. What if it was just in their heads?
inquirer.com/philly/news/pennsylvania-department-corrections-prison-lockdown-drugs-k2-fentanyl-guards-sickness-20180907.html
Pennsylvania Prisons Locked Down
npr.org/2018/08/30/643132716/pennsylvania-prisons-locked-down-after-staff-exposed-to-suspected-tainted-drugs
Police reports of accidental fentanyl overdose in the field
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8810663
Smart Communications Tackles Contraband With Technology
correctionalnews.com/2017/10/06/smart-communications-tackles-contraband-technology
Why Prisons Are Banning Letters
thenation.com/article/society/prison-letters-mailguard/?ref=levernews.com
Five Years After Banning Mail, Drug Use Worse in Pennsylvania
prisonlegalnews.org/news/2023/sep/15/five-years-after-limiting-personal-visits-and-banning-mail-drug-use-worse-pennsylvania-prisons
Texas Prisons Stopped Visitation and Limited Mail. Drugs Got in Anyway.
https://archive.is/cRySN
No Glitter, No Glue, No Meth?
themarshallproject.org/2020/03/02/no-glitter-no-glue-no-meth
We Know Visitors Aren’t the Ones Bringing Drugs Into Our Prison
filtermag.org/prison-contraband-drugs
FCC Delays Rate Reductions for Prison Calls
eji.org/news/fcc-delays-rate-reductions-for-calls-with-people-in-prison
Inmate wages
prisonpolicy.org/blog/2017/04/10/wages
Electronic Tablets Allow Inmates To Connect — With A Cost
law360.com/articles/2352319/electronic-tablets-allow-inmates-to-connect-with-a-cost
Smart Communications Files for Bankruptcy
prisonlegalnews.org/news/2025/jun/1/smart-communications-files-bankruptcy-protection
Court document segment with messages
drive.google.com/file/d/1Ez3y5HKp_3hZFdAUSzJtZUlgNvS3_O58/view
Tampa company back in bankruptcy court after family feud ends in $50M judgment
bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2025/12/17/smart-communications-chapter11-judgement.html
Logan v Logan appeal
flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/2443748/opinion/Opinion_2023-1798.pdf
Martha Wright-Reed Act signed by President Biden
prisonpolicy.org/blog/2023/01/19/martha-wright-reed-act
An FCC ruling has cut prison phone bills in half
businessinsider.com/prison-phone-call-rates-cut-in-half-new-fcc-ruling-2024-7
Trump’s FCC Scraps Ban on Prison Phone Price Gouging, a Gift to Some of His Top Donors
motherjones.com/politics/2025/07/trumps-fcc-scraps-ban-on-prison-phone-price-gouging-a-gift-to-some-of-his-top-donors
Wall Street’s New Prison Scam
levernews.com/wall-streets-new-prison-scam
Martha Wright-Reed Act
congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1541/text
Smart Communications v Correct Solutions
casemine.com/judgement/us/675e5bb1a7e16531f1687d53
The Carceral System Enters Its Smartwatch Era
https://archive.is/20250213002645/https://www.thenation.com/article/society/carceral-system-smart-watch-surveillance/
Prison Policy Initiative
prisonpolicy.org/phones
Jonathan Logan, convicted felon and CEO/founder of prison tech company Smart Communications, got rich by price-gouging poor people. Why? A Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, a $10 million yacht called "Convict," and a $1 million boat named after a dead woman he was convicted of harassing. A family legal battle for succession of the company revealed the strange world of how prison telecoms operate: with kickbacks to public officials, and extortionate fees.
Patreon: patreon.com/GeorgRockallSchmidt
Leave a tip: paypal.me/GeorgRockallSchmidt
Twitter: twitter.com/grockallschmidt
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/grockallschmidt.bsky.social
Sources
The Succession Battle For A Prison Empire
levernews.com/the-succession-battle-for-a-prison-empire
AT&T Monopoly & Breakup of the Bell System
historyfactory.com/insights/this-month-in-business-history-bell-system
History of Federal Inmate Access To Telephones
oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/special/9908/callsp2.htm
United States v. AT&T
justice.gov/jmd/media/1237211/dl
Competition and Collusion in U.S. Prison Telephone Industry
prisonlegalnews.org/news/2007/jan/15/ex-communication-competition-and-collusion-in-the-us-prison-telephone-industry
1990-2005, the U.S. Built A Prison Every 10 Days
interrogatingjustice.org/ending-mass-incarceration/prison-every-10-days
Behind Bars: Prison Phone Reform
https://journals.law.harvard.edu/lpr/wp-content/uploads/sites/89/2020/03/Fuchs.pdf
Engelke v Logan et al
flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/2438679/opinion/Opinion_2022-4063.pdf
Sheriffs Offered Caribbean Cruises and Florida Retreats as Part of Jail Telecom Contracts
theappeal.org/smart-communications-cruises-trips-florida
Pa. prisons spend $15M after guards sickened. What if it was just in their heads?
inquirer.com/philly/news/pennsylvania-department-corrections-prison-lockdown-drugs-k2-fentanyl-guards-sickness-20180907.html
Pennsylvania Prisons Locked Down
npr.org/2018/08/30/643132716/pennsylvania-prisons-locked-down-after-staff-exposed-to-suspected-tainted-drugs
Police reports of accidental fentanyl overdose in the field
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8810663
Smart Communications Tackles Contraband With Technology
correctionalnews.com/2017/10/06/smart-communications-tackles-contraband-technology
Why Prisons Are Banning Letters
thenation.com/article/society/prison-letters-mailguard/?ref=levernews.com
Five Years After Banning Mail, Drug Use Worse in Pennsylvania
prisonlegalnews.org/news/2023/sep/15/five-years-after-limiting-personal-visits-and-banning-mail-drug-use-worse-pennsylvania-prisons
Texas Prisons Stopped Visitation and Limited Mail. Drugs Got in Anyway.
https://archive.is/cRySN
No Glitter, No Glue, No Meth?
themarshallproject.org/2020/03/02/no-glitter-no-glue-no-meth
We Know Visitors Aren’t the Ones Bringing Drugs Into Our Prison
filtermag.org/prison-contraband-drugs
FCC Delays Rate Reductions for Prison Calls
eji.org/news/fcc-delays-rate-reductions-for-calls-with-people-in-prison
Inmate wages
prisonpolicy.org/blog/2017/04/10/wages
Electronic Tablets Allow Inmates To Connect — With A Cost
law360.com/articles/2352319/electronic-tablets-allow-inmates-to-connect-with-a-cost
Smart Communications Files for Bankruptcy
prisonlegalnews.org/news/2025/jun/1/smart-communications-files-bankruptcy-protection
Court document segment with messages
drive.google.com/file/d/1Ez3y5HKp_3hZFdAUSzJtZUlgNvS3_O58/view
Tampa company back in bankruptcy court after family feud ends in $50M judgment
bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2025/12/17/smart-communications-chapter11-judgement.html
Logan v Logan appeal
flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/2443748/opinion/Opinion_2023-1798.pdf
Martha Wright-Reed Act signed by President Biden
prisonpolicy.org/blog/2023/01/19/martha-wright-reed-act
An FCC ruling has cut prison phone bills in half
businessinsider.com/prison-phone-call-rates-cut-in-half-new-fcc-ruling-2024-7
Trump’s FCC Scraps Ban on Prison Phone Price Gouging, a Gift to Some of His Top Donors
motherjones.com/politics/2025/07/trumps-fcc-scraps-ban-on-prison-phone-price-gouging-a-gift-to-some-of-his-top-donors
Wall Street’s New Prison Scam
levernews.com/wall-streets-new-prison-scam
Martha Wright-Reed Act
congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/1541/text
Smart Communications v Correct Solutions
casemine.com/judgement/us/675e5bb1a7e16531f1687d53
The Carceral System Enters Its Smartwatch Era
https://archive.is/20250213002645/https://www.thenation.com/article/society/carceral-system-smart-watch-surveillance/
Prison Policy Initiative
prisonpolicy.org/phones
