Lester Coleman, following cancer surgery, was maltreated and thrown into solitary confinement by officers, and Martinez, Austin, and Cotton fearing he would expose their smuggling operation, catering to organized crime figures, according to allegations by the Radio Talk-Show host, and confirmed by reviews of medical and prison-related records. Martinez was Coleman's unit manager, Austin was Coleman's counselor, and Cotton was chief of the Correction Officer's union.
It took a 11 day stay in a private hospital to clear up his infection after his dressing was not changed for 16 days.
Coleman was known by Mob figures from his book, SQUEAL, (ISBN 0-939026-03-1) that exposed organized crime in New England. The book was co-written with an informant, introduced to Coleman by FBI Agents.
Coleman was held without bail at MDC, Brooklyn, NY for six months on a perjury charge based on an affidavit he gave in the Pan Am 103 civil case. He was placed under electroniclly monitored house arrest for another six months before being released in September, 1997.
Dr. Harvey Berman, a government paid Psychiatrist wrote the court: "His dagnosis is major depression....nighmares about his experiences at the Metropolitan Dentention Center where he earlier this year received substandard medical care. I believe that his depression was precipitated by the way he was treated there."
