# Cell transfers at Loretto > **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou. > > Cite as: "Cell transfers at Loretto," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/prison-cell-transfers/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia. *How a prisoner at FCI Loretto moved from one cell to another, a process requiring six months in place, the written agreement of the receiving cell and the signature of the counselor, which John Kiriakou describes as a guard assigned to be a designated pain in the ass.* - **Minimum time before a move:** Six months in the current cell - **Required:** Written agreement of the prisoners in the receiving cell - **Approved by:** The counselor - **Kiriakou's definition of a counselor:** A guard assigned to be your designated pain in the ass - **Who has no vote:** Pedophiles in the receiving cell **Cell transfers at Loretto** were, in [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou)'s description, a real process to move from one cell to another, with no guarantee of success.[1] On arrival a prisoner had no say whatsoever in where he slept. Kiriakou says the bunk and the cell were assigned by the prison, and that a new arrival simply took what he was given.[2] ## The counselor Everything came down to the so-called counselor. Kiriakou's definition is that the counselor is just a guard who has been assigned to be a prisoner's designated pain in the ass.[1] When Kiriakou applied at the six-month mark, the counselor told him he had not been there six months. Kiriakou said he had, six months as of the previous day, in fact. The counselor said he would check it; Kiriakou said he expected he would. The counselor then signed off.[3] ## The receiving cell The other requirement was the consent of the men already in the destination cell, and it had to be given in writing.[3] Kiriakou describes identifying a cell across the hall and down a couple of doors that had a couple of good guys in it, including [Robert the Australian](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/robert-the-arsonist) and [Frank Russo](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/frank-russo), who had already moved there, and an empty bed left by a release.[1] He asked whether he could move in, and was told absolutely. The move was then cleared with [Marlon Beard](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/marlon-beard).[3] One prisoner in the room was excluded from the decision entirely: Kiriakou notes that there was a pedophile in that cell who did not get a vote.[3] ## Afterwards Kiriakou says it took a couple of weeks to sort the new cell out the way it ended up being. He shared a bunk with Russo; a prisoner he calls [Dave Phillips](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/dave-phillips) moved in from another unit at the same time and took another bunk, with the one above it empty; and Beard and the pedophile completed the room.[4] The restrictions on the pedophile were set by the prisoners rather than the staff. Kiriakou says the man knew the rules, pedophiles could only sleep in the room, could not hang out or sit there, and could never have visitors, and quietly did his time.[4][5] Kiriakou's earlier cell had been a worse fit. He describes being disliked there partly because he had never been in prison before: when the red light came on signalling 120 seconds to return for the standing count, he did not know what it meant, and with five seconds left his cellmates physically pulled him back into the cell by the shirt to stop everybody being sent to [solitary confinement](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/solitary-confinement).[6] ## See also - [FCI Loretto](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/fci-loretto) - [Marlon Beard](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/marlon-beard) - [Frank Russo](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/frank-russo) - [Dave Phillips](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/dave-phillips) - [Robert the arsonist](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/robert-the-arsonist) ## Sources 1. S2E3 Circle Of Friends (2026-06-01), at 24:31. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/6a1cae87f7ef77595849152c/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-06-01-dead-drop-s2e3-circle-of-friends/ 2. S2E3 Circle Of Friends (2026-06-01), at 07:10. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/6a1cae87f7ef77595849152c/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-06-01-dead-drop-s2e3-circle-of-friends/ 3. S2E3 Circle Of Friends (2026-06-01), at 25:03. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/6a1cae87f7ef77595849152c/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-06-01-dead-drop-s2e3-circle-of-friends/ 4. S2E3 Circle Of Friends (2026-06-01), at 25:38. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/6a1cae87f7ef77595849152c/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-06-01-dead-drop-s2e3-circle-of-friends/ 5. S2E3 Circle Of Friends (2026-06-01), at 26:11. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/6a1cae87f7ef77595849152c/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-06-01-dead-drop-s2e3-circle-of-friends/ 6. S2E3 Circle Of Friends (2026-06-01), at 17:53. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/6a1cae87f7ef77595849152c/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-06-01-dead-drop-s2e3-circle-of-friends/ --- From KiriPedia, the archive of John Kiriakou's words. Web version: https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/prison-cell-transfers/ · About: https://www.kiripedia.org/about/ · Full index: https://www.kiripedia.org/llms.txt