Inmate sentenced in pot plot

Monday, June 14, 2004 | 9:30 a.m.

SUN CAPITAL BUREAU

CARSON CITY -- An inmate serving a life term for a murder in Clark County has been convicted of being part of a marijuana smuggling plot that involved a correctional officer at the state prison in Ely.

Christopher Kyriacou, 28, was found guilty Wednesday of possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy to commit an unauthorized act involving a controlled substance.

Senior Deputy Attorney General Conrad Hafen said Friday that Kyriacou faces an additional nine years in prison when he is sentenced July 26 by District Judge Dan Papez.

Kyriacou was already serving a prison term for using a television cord to strangle 19-year-old Michael O'Rourke in Henderson. Former prison correctional officer Scott Eagle testified during the Kyriacou trial that he worked with the inmate to obtain marijuana from Ramin Zabeti, a boxer from Las Vegas. The plot was uncovered in 2001 and the drugs were discovered hidden in a kitchen area of the prison.

Eagle pleaded guilty to conspiracy and was sentenced to 12 to 30 months in a prison outside Nevada. Zabeti was convicted in Clark County in 2003 for possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to two years' probation and community service.