Crimes of the Times – “The Ghost: An Inmate Disappears in L.A. County Jail”

Podcast: Crimes of the Times (L.A. Times Studios)
Episode Date: September 16, 2025
Host/Narrator: Christopher Goffard

Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, Christopher Goffard investigates the extraordinary story of Anthony Brown, an inmate who “vanished” inside Los Angeles County Jail during an FBI probe into deputy brutality and corruption. The episode dives into the dangerous interplay between the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI, the internal codes and culture among jailers, and the technological manipulation used to keep Brown hidden from federal authorities — exposing the high-stakes paranoia and ethical gray zones that fueled one of the department’s worst scandals.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Culture of Retaliation and the Code of Silence

• Jailhouse Culture: James Sexton, a young custody deputy, describes the unwritten rules dictating severe retribution against inmates who attack deputies—and the social ostracism for those who don’t participate.
  • Notable quote (01:25):

    “I didn't enforce the unwritten rules. And that was a lot...The hardest thing for me to do would be get out of my car and walk into the locker room and know that nobody would talk to me.”
    — Deputy James Sexton

2. Sexton’s Technological Prowess and Rise in the Department

• Turning Point: Sexton leverages his skills with the Automated Jail Information System (AEGIS) to advance in the ranks and join Operation Safe Jails, an elite intelligence unit.
  • (03:20)

    “Anything that happens criminally has a nexus to the LA county jail...And I kind of had a. I fell into a tribe there.”
    — Deputy James Sexton

3. The FBI’s Bribery Sting Using Anthony Brown

• Anthony Brown (“The Durag Bandit”): A long-term inmate who becomes the FBI’s informant, providing information on violent deputies.

  • (05:17)

    “He probably hoped that we would help him with this case if he helped us. But you know what he told us early on? He was sick of seeing these guys...engaging in this behavior and then walking out and going free.”
    — FBI Agent Leah Marks

• Bribery Sting: FBI orchestrates a sting involving a corrupt deputy delivering a contraband cell phone to Brown in exchange for $800 (08:42).

• Purpose of the Cell Phone:

  • (06:20)

    “The first one being we wanted to confirm whether or not these allegations of bribery were even true. Are deputies really taking bribes in exchange for bringing contraband into the jail?”
    — FBI Agent Leah Marks

4. The Plan Unravels: Discovery of the Contraband Phone

• Phone Found: The cell phone is discovered in Brown’s cell hidden in a Doritos bag (11:17).
• Sheriff’s Response: Initially, jail officials are unaware of the FBI’s involvement; soon, they realize federal agents are behind the sting (12:10).
• Escalation & Panic: When the FBI returns for a routine interview with Brown, they are aggressively removed by jail staff (15:05).
  • (15:42):

    “There's a very large sergeant...He screams at us, this interview is over. And grabs Anthony Brown and rips him out of the room...All I could think in that moment is, what are they going to do with him?”
    — FBI Agent Leah Marks

5. Operation "Pandora’s Box": Hiding Brown from the FBI

• Losing Brown in the System: Deputies, led by Sexton, use AEGIS to change Brown’s identity repeatedly, making him “a ghost” within the jail (22:54).

  • (22:54):

    “I knew how to bring all of them together temporally and physically, so that it would be hard to find somebody.”
    — Deputy James Sexton

• Aliases Used: Names like John Rodriguez, Kevin King, Chris Johnson, and the darkly comic Robin Banks.

• Motivation & Denial: While the official line was Brown’s “safety,” Sexton admits the real purpose was to “keep him away from the feds” (21:41).

6. FBI Distress and Brown’s Isolation

• FBI Alarmed: Agent Marks desperately tries to locate Brown, even after filing a federal writ to no avail (24:01).

  • (24:01):

    “How is that possible? He was just sentenced to a couple hundred years in prison. There's no way that he's not there. Something is up here. This is not normal.”
    — FBI Agent Leah Marks

• Brown's Desperation: In isolation, Brown grows anxious—writing to sheriffs expressing fear for his life and a sense his FBI contacts have abandoned him (24:56).

7. Return to the System & Fallout

• End of the Ghost: After 18 days hidden, Brown is finally released into state prison custody. Sexton documents the move in a now-infamous email titled “Operation Pandora’s Box” (26:43, 27:32).

  • (27:32):

    “That was the email that had everybody's name on it...So we had to merge all the folders back together and piece all the computer stuff back together. And so I did all of that on that day to make him Anthony Brown again.”
    — Deputy James Sexton

• Meaning of Pandora’s Box: Sexton claims he picked the title because “hope is what he had in mind”—but others see it as a reference to the corruption inside the jail (28:17).

• Sexton’s Regret: He believed his emails would serve as “insurance" by showing he was following orders, but concedes how quickly that sense of security unraveled (29:04).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Code of Silence & Ostracism:
  "I was immediately ostracized...That incident forever changed how I would conduct myself. Never again will I go against the grain."
  — Deputy James Sexton (01:54)

• FBI’s Motivation:
  “We wanted to confirm whether or not these allegations of bribery were even true.”
  — FBI Agent Leah Marks (00:08, 06:20)

• Escalation in the Jail:
  "This interview is over."
  — Unnamed Sheriff’s Sergeant, yelling at Marks and colleagues (15:42)

• FBI Powerless to Help Source:
  "I am afraid the FBI has left me for dead. Brown seemed to be catching on that something was not right."
  — Anthony Brown (Letter quoted at 24:56)

• Creating a Ghost:
  "You are not to let anybody speak to this guy. Nobody's to see him, nobody's to talk to him...I knew how to bring all of them together temporally and physically, so that it would be hard to find somebody."
  — Deputy James Sexton (21:41, 22:54)

• Sexton’s “Insurance” Email:
  "It was a bit of a time stamping, like you guys told us to do this. I believed that the department would protect me and that I had the insurance of following orders, having emails, all of those things. And that quickly unravels."
  — Deputy James Sexton (29:04)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Event | |-------------|----------------------------------------------------| | 00:38-02:44 | Sexton describes code of silence & retaliation | | 03:02-03:51 | Sexton discusses Operation Safe Jails | | 05:17-06:11 | FBI's relationship with Brown/Bribery setup | | 08:42-09:14 | Bribery sting/conveying the cell phone | | 11:17-12:10 | Discovery of cell phone & realization of FBI plot | | 15:05-15:42 | FBI’s interview with Brown is abruptly ended | | 21:08-22:54 | Sexton describes mechanisms for hiding Brown | | 24:01-24:56 | FBI frustration & Brown’s isolation | | 26:43-27:32 | Brown released; “Operation Pandora’s Box” email | | 29:04-29:18 | Sexton’s rationale for documenting the operation |

Episode Tone

Throughout, the episode alternates between a tense, you-are-there immediacy and a critical, investigative analysis of the institutional cultures at war. Goffard’s narration is both methodical and dramatic, highlighting the personal toll on all players while underlining the profound institutional rot at the heart of the story.

For Further Listening

Cliffhanger: The episode closes with a tease for the next installment, hinting at Sheriff’s deputies showing up at Agent Marks’ door in an apparent intimidation attempt (30:01).

Summary prepared for listeners seeking a complete yet succinct recounting of this episode’s dramatic and illuminating narrative.